


Full Circle

by Macx



Series: The 2nd Series: VI. Beyond the Horizon [1]
Category: The Magician
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-20
Updated: 2011-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-19 15:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 44,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/202348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macx/pseuds/Macx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He woke with a start, crying out a name, trashing in the already severely messed up bed. Drenched in sweat he fought invisible demons, screaming as they fought back.<br/>Ace.... the link....gone...alone!<br/>"Ace!" he cried, his voice muffled by the pillow, tears streaming down his face.<br/>No Ace. No magic. All gone. The link.....gone.....<br/>So alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Full Circle

written by Macx and Laura Boeff

 

 

Theoretical sciences.  
Experimental.  
Extraordinary.  
His mind raced trough the words his master would use. Brilliant. Yes, maybe even that. His poor master. Wrong, it was wrong what had been done to the man. Did anyone care? Did anyone seek justice?  
No. He was alone in that pursuit.  
Alone.  
Again.  
He sucked in his lower lip and finished the shipping sticker. A perfect duplicate. Perfect! His master would be proud. He would never admit it, but he was sure the older man would have been. His master had been a man of few words, but he knew, behind those snide comments, and occasional brutal attacks, his master had cared. Had cared for him. And now he was alone. Without his master's presence, but not without his guidance. Ah, that he understood. Revenge. Revenge was important. Important that people didn’t forget you, run you over without a second thought.  
Revenge had been very important to his master.  
And now to him.

* * *

A soft, feminine voice echoed through the breadth and length of the Magic Express. A mammoth two story train that was both home and workshop to Electro City's greatest magician and his partner/apprentice. Said apprentice currently being stretched out on the living room's red couch; snoring.  
"Cosmo.“  
"Hummmm.“ It was not much of a response as Cosmo shifted, trying to hide beneath a throw pillow.  
"Cosmo,“ Angel, the owner of the soft, feminine voice called again. With slightly more volume.  
"Hmmm,“ Cosmo returned again, still trying to ignore the AI.  
"Cosmo, the mail has arrived,“ Angel explained, neither annoyed nor angry. She was use to dealing with Cosmo, in all his moods.  
His current mood was sleepy.  
Peeking out from beneath the throw pillow, Cosmo let his eye slide over the empty living room without much enthusiasm. Man, what had he been thinking last night staying up to the wee hours with Ulene and the gang? Ugh. Coming home at the crack of dawn had not been a bright idea. The eye dropped shut again. Ace had known of course. Cosmo had warned him that everyone had planned for quite a celebration for Hotchkis’ birthday. But the reality had far exceeded their expectations. Way far.  
Ace had briefly checked in on him. Not a hard task given that Cosmo had never actually made it to his bedroom. He remembered sitting on the couch, that was about it, till Ace had tapped him on the shoulder. Amusement had been clear in his partner’s face as Ace kindly reminded him that he had an interview for SensaNews and would be gone part of the afternoon. Cosmo had actually managed to nod, maybe comprehending one word in three, before drifting back to his pleasant slumber. Now he was awake. Sort of. Cosmo assumed that being conscious mentally counted as awake. The rest of his body hadn’t quite come to, but he didn’t begrudge it the nap.  
Mail.  
Angel had said something about the mail. He moved again, rolling onto his back as the throw pillow bounced forgotten to the floor. Light shafted down bright and cheerful through the skylight above, giving a warm wash to the living room/library. If it wasn’t so damn bright to his tired eyes he might just have enjoyed it.  
Mail.  
Damn, that meant it was past noon. Ace would be home soon and he knew the first thing the magician would want to do was start his daily magic lesson. No matter how tight the schedule, Ace always made sure Cosmo kept up on his practices. Not that Cosmo minded, not at all. He might have despised his magic at first, despised it with a passion, but now, under Ace’s guiding hand and his own determination he was getting the hang of it. He wasn’t good. No, not by a longshot. But, he sure had improved.  
Mail.  
Damn, why did that word keep popping up? Oh yeah, Ace was expecting something. A part placed on special order so they could finish the newest prop for Ace’s upcoming show. A sequential laser array. Very big, very dangerous and very incomplete without this last part. Oh well, duty called. He was the one helping put the whole thing together after all. The part dealt with the computer control system and where computers were involved, he was king.  
Shoving himself upright Cosmo scrubbed his hand vigorously across his face, trying to push away the remnants of last night party. Ugh, if he felt like this he could just pity the guys who’d really been drinking last night. He counted himself lucky for keeping himself to a three drink minimum. That had been Ace’s suggestion. As the older man pointed out, few things could be more dangerous on the earth than a drunk magic user. Dangerous indeed, given his somewhat random casting abilities.  
 ‘Oh well, time to earn your keep, guys,’ he informed his legs. Muscles actually obeyed his brain's command to move and Cosmo got himself upright, stretching massively.  
Mail, shower, lunch then work. In that order, no deviations, he promised himself as he trundled through the Express’ halls, heading for the lower side entrance.  
Beside the lower hall door was a small recessed panel that had a matching opening on the exterior. Their mailbox as it was. Cosmo opened it and was slightly pleased to see the small, brown box amongst the thick wads of letters. Generally fan mail, sometimes bills, sometimes threats, but that was usually Ace’s stuff. The box was his. Well, his to deal with at least. Snatching up the stuff Cosmo headed back upstairs. He paused briefly to toss the mail onto Ace’s desk in his study then moved on to his own room with the box under his arm. Shower, lunch then work, he reminded himself, resisting the urge to open the box and check out the contents. He knew if he did, the shower and lunch would be forgotten. Cosmo could very rarely resist his urge to work on the computers. Very rarely.

* * *

"I am very sorry for the minor delay, Mr. Cooper,“ Mr. Hawkins assured for the fifth time.  
Ace arched an eyebrow at him.  
"Minor?“ he queried sarcastically.  
Mr. Hawkins offered a weak shrug. The man was the on floor supervisor for the set. Small, rather mousy, hardly the type one would imagine for the job. Perhaps that’s why he did it. It was hard to be mad with a man like him. It just made you feel... guilty.  
‘Well, for the first two delays maybe,’ Ace thought ruefully.  
"A few minutes more, Mr. Cooper, I promise,“ Hawkins said with his best smile, hands aflutter. Ace took in a deep breath and looked down at the man, not hesitating to use his height to impose a little discomfort in the supervisor.  
"Mr. Hawkins, while my time is not priceless, it is valuable to me,“ he pointed out, trying not to lose his temper. A few minutes indeed! This interview was already an hour and half behind schedule.  
"I understand, Mr. Cooper, but technical difficulties.“ The mousy man shrugged. "Please.. a little more patience.“  
Ace pursed his lips, then finally nodded. Technical difficulties huh? Probably some ego tiff going on about who got interviewed first and by whom. Ace was not an arrogant man, not in the least, but he could not say the same about others in the entertainment industry.  
"A few more minutes,“ he rumbled.  
Mr. Hawkins fairly beamed. "Thank you, Mr. Cooper,“ he gushed before bouncing off to the next disaster on his list. Ace watched him go, rubbing back his dark, white streaked hair. A few more minutes.  
He held little faith.  
"Oh well." he muttered, looking about for someplace quiet to hide himself. He considered calling Cosmo, to warn his partner of his delay, but then dismissed it. Ace’s lips quirked into a grin as he remembered the condition he’d left the teen this morning-- barely cognitive on the couch. Cosmo had warned him the party would go late, but he doubted the young man had had any idea how late.  
No, he wouldn’t call. There was still the very real possibility that Cosmo was still asleep. There was no real reason to wake him. Only the laser array required attention at the moment and that needed one more part and a few minutes of his partner’s time. Hardly an emergency requiring rousing the young man.  
Still.  
Ace was bored. Annoyed and bored and very close to fed up. A few more minutes, he told himself. This had been Will, his publicist's, idea anyway. Not the end of the world as far as he was concerned if he were to miss it. So Ace found a quiet corner and sat upon a stack of packing crates. He pulled out a deck of cards, shuffling them easily, from one hand to the other, letting them flick without thought between his fingers as he watched the controlled chaos around him.

* * *

"Much better,“ Cosmo announced to the world in general as he stepped out of his room, pulling on his glasses. Amazing what wonders a shower could work on the human body.  
Pulling the still damp red hair up from beneath his headband, Cosmo concentrated on fluffing the unruly locks into their typical upright position. The box still rested under his arm as he headed for the kitchen.  
 ‘I will not open it, I will not open it.’ The thought had been rolling around his mind as he sat the box down on the table. Shower, lunch then work. He was halfway there.  
Scrounging around the fridge Cosmo finally unearthed some leftovers. He eyed the contents of the Tupperware box uncertainly. Neither Ace nor he were master chefs. They were both bachelors after all. While Cosmo could and occasionally did cook, both were more skilled with ordering take-out. However, take-out seemed to have the incredible gift of becoming an unrecognizable mess when viewed the next day. In the end he shrugged. Nothing so dangerous the microwave couldn’t kill. Popping the mystery food into the kitchen's small wall unit microwave, Cosmo hit the timer pad and leaned against the counter to wait. He glanced at the box.  
No, he wasn’t going to open it.  
Nope.  
Not yet.  
"Yeah, right. Who are you kidding?“ Cosmo laughed as he gave in and retrieved the package. Okay, so he was a freak. He smiled as he pulled out a small pocket knife to cut the tape.  
"Only you, Cosmo."  
Yeah, he was the only person he knew that could get excited about building a prop. Well, more than just a mere prop. But still... Oh well. It was what he could do, what he was good at. Computers, electronics. Ever since Ace had given him the chance, Cosmo had dived through anything he could take apart and learn from. Build, destroy and rebuild. Whether it was a computer program or the toaster -which he had coincidentally disassembled and rebuilt three times during a stint in his sixteenth year- Ace had tolerated it all. Well, except when he didn’t get things back together quite right. But, even then, he hadn’t been mad. More, just... aggrieved.  
Cosmo chuckled as he remembered one of those trade mark looks, popping open the box. Yeah, he’d given Ace some serious headaches in those early days. Kind of did still. Though not so many.  
He hoped.  
"What the...?“ Cosmo frowned as he pulled out the packing paper. He shook his head as he stared at the boxes contents.  
"Man,“ he muttered. This was most definitely not the XTS Control board they had ordered. "Great, this is just great.“  
They needed to get the laser working so they could do the test runs. Ace would never consider using the trick until they’d thoroughly debugged it, and neither would Cosmo till he was sure the magician wasn’t going to be fried by one of his creations. Cosmo studied the shipping label, then shook his head again.  
"Great, just flipping great.“ Now he was going to have to track down the original order! Man, this he didn’t need. And just what the heck had they been sent? All that rested in the box was a giant metal marble. Perhaps an inch in diameter. A dull, pewter color and apparently flawless. Cosmo pulled out the ball and rolled it around in his hand.  
"Looks like an overgrown ball bearing,“ he muttered darkly to himself. Either way, it still wasn’t the part they needed. Not by a long shot.  
Cosmo sighed. "Damn.“ Then frowned. Red brows drew together curiously as Cosmo looked into his hand.  
He felt.... something. Strange. Different.  
There was a pop, then a crack. Then Cosmo screamed. Blue-white electricity leapt over his hand and up his arm as his whole body stiffened under the assault. It burned through him. Hot, arching tendrils of energy slashing across every nerve and stabbing straight into his brain. With odd clarity he felt his hand spasm on the ball reflexively as another scream wrenched from his throat, pain rising up like a gusher around him as the world whited out.

* * *

Home at last.  
Thank God.  
Ace didn’t exactly leap out of the Racer as it settled in the vehicle bay of the Magic Express. More of an energetic shuffle, he thought amusedly. Who knew an interview could be so taxing?  
Well, he chuckled, it hadn’t been the interview that had been taxing. Simply the wait. And the excuses. And the chaos. And and, and, and....  
"Oh well,“ he sighed. He was home. That was what mattered. Surely Cosmo would be up by now and that part should have come in. After magic practice they could spend the rest of what was left of the day working on the array. Ace smiled, as he always did when considering Cosmo’s practices. It still awed him just how much he enjoyed teaching. Guiding. There was a magic all it’s own in helping Cosmo reach his true potential. A deep satisfaction that he was making such a great difference.  
He chuckled.  
‘Ahh Anna, wherever you are, I’m sure you’re smiling,’ he thought warmly of the woman who had taught him. Yeah, she would smile. He only wished she could have met Cosmo. Yes, he would have liked that. But... No, he would not dwell. His day had been rough enough as was.  
"Angel, is Cosmo up yet?“ he called, looking up slightly to the empty air above him. Ace wasn’t sure why he had developed that habit when addressing the trains resident AI. It just seemed, appropriate.  
"Yes, Ace. He is in the kitchen,“ Angel reported, then added uncertainly. "Though I believe there is a problem.“  
Ace cocked an eyebrow. Problem?  
Why didn’t he like the sound of that?  
"I registered a strange energy discharge and Cosmo has ignored my inquires into it.“  
He was already heading down the hall, the kitchen being at the end. Catching the open door frame, Ace slid to a stop.  
Problem. It was an understatement.  
Cosmo was standing, wedged in a corner of the room, trembling visibly. He cradled his right hand against chest, his left rubbing at the opposite arm, as if trying to banish a sever chill. His whole body vibrated with his ragged breathing, the short, gasping pants echoing in the small room. Zina was there, rumbling and nudging him in the leg with her broad forehead, but he didn’t even seem aware of the large panther. The young man’s face was pale, eyes wide, almost haunted as he stared at a distant point on the floor.  
"Cosmo!“ Ace exclaimed, frozen in the doorway.  
Cosmo jerked, then looked at him. He twitched, frowned, then twitched again.  
"Ace?“  
It was an honest inquiry, as if he was uncertain of his partner's identity. His lost gaze matched the hollow tone of his voice as he took in the older man’s appearance. Ace felt his heart clench in fear as he hurried to the young man’s side.  
Cosmo simply stared at him, trembling.  
"Cosmo, what happened?“ Ace demanded softly, as he gently caught his friend’s twitching left hand. It was ice cold, muscles tight and quivering. Clutching madly at nothing, as if trying to catch the insubstantial.  
"Can’t feel it,“ Cosmo muttered softly, his stare vacant, looking beyond Ace. "Can’t feel...“ he repeated, rocking slightly with the words.  
Ace pulled the cradled hand away from his partner’s chest, Cosmo putting up no resistance as he pulled it free. He let out a small gasp. There was no missing the burn mark in the center of his friend’s palm. A perfect, round patch of seeping, scorched flesh, black and charred at the bloody edges. It had to hurt like hell, but none of it seem to be registering as Cosmo kept rocking back and forth, the spastic twitches coursing through his lean frame.  
"What happened, Cosmo?“ Ace entreated again, with a little more force.  
Cosmo blinked, looked at him and let out a small, desperate sob. "Can’t feel you. Can’t feel." He broke away, staggering across the room, shaking his head madly. "Can’t feel,“ he repeated again and again. "Can’t feel.“  
Ace just stopped him from colliding into the table, getting a protective arm around the unsteady man.  
"Shhh, calm down, Cosmo. It’s going to be okay,“ Ace said softly, the teen leaning against him, muscles jerking erratically. He looked around, then up at Ace, looking completely lost. As if he wasn’t quite interacting with the real world.  
"It’s going to be okay, Cosmo,“ Ace assured again, trying to sound more confident than he felt at the moment. The empty, confused gaze shook Ace to the core and his gut knot painfully with worry. "You have to tell me what happened,“ he pressed gently.  
Cosmo blinked, eyes going distant again. He let out a small groan, face wrinkling in pain. "Empty,“ he whimpered. "Can’t feel.”  
"Can’t feel what, Cosmo?“ Ace urged. "What can’t you feel?“  
Cosmo looked up at him, looking utterly lost and miserable.  
"Magic,“ he whispered.  
The word unleashed an avalanche as another cry tore form the young man. He spasmed against Ace, shaking his head madly. "Can’t feel the magic, can’t feel you. Empty. Everything’s so empty inside,“ he groaned, screwing his eyes shut.  
Ace gasped. Couldn’t feel his magic? Couldn’t sense him?  
Dear God.  
"Easy, Cosmo, easy,“ he whispered gently as another sob tore through the young man.  
"Gone. So empty. Can’t think straight. Can’t feel right. Everything’s messed up, Ace. Can’t feel you, Ace,“ he rambled madly. "Hurts. Empty inside.“  
"Calm down, Cosmo. You have to calm down,“ Ace insisted, tightening his hold on his apprentice, trying to offer comfort as well as warmth. Cosmo was indeed in shock. Though a kind he never could have conceived of. Couldn’t feel his magic? Ace shuddered. Could it be true?  
"Come on,“ he said, guiding Cosmo toward the door. His partner went without resistance, muttering to himself miserably.  
"Can’t feel you, Ace. Can’t feel.“  
Damn. Cosmo had obviously lost his empathic link to his partner. Ace knew Cosmo found it disturbing enough to shield against him -or vice-a-versa- but to have the link completely removed... Ace knew that the empathy had simply become a part of the teen’s existence. That to Cosmo, it simply was. Part of him as much as a part of Ace. The emotions he felt having become as much of a part of himself as his own. Now that link was gone, along with the magic?! Ace himself could not conceive of the consequences, but they were obviously very negative.  
"Easy there,“ he said softly, offering nonsense words to the shocky young man in his arms, letting his voice comfort where words could not. They rode the lift up to the second level and Ace steered Cosmo into the library. The teen simply went where he was guided, muttering softly, seemingly unaware of the world around him. Lost.  
"Sit down. There you go.“ Ace got Cosmo onto the couch. Cosmo sat there, still rubbing at his chilled skin, shuddering. Ace knew he had to get the young man warm. To fight the effects of the shock. "Angel increase room temp ten degrees,“ he order curtly, pulling off his cape. He wrapped it around his friend’s shoulders, Cosmo unaware as he did so.  
"Yes, Ace. May I be of further assistance?“ she asked earnestly.  
"Not yet, but be ready to call an ambulance,“ Ace muttered, crouching in front of his partner, touching one knee. "Cosmo?“  
Cosmo looked at him. It was a sad sight. The gray eyes were wet, bewildered. Lost. Like Cosmo.  
"I can’t sense you, Ace. Nothing,“ he stressed, left hand clenching tight. Shook his head, breath hitching as he started rocking again, the mad trembling increasing. "All gone. Everything. Gone. I can’t feel the magic. I used to be able to feel it. In me, in you...“  
"Easy, Cosmo, easy. We’ll sort this out, I promise,“ Ace assured firmly, taking the clenched hand in his own, letting his fingers knead at the tight muscles.  
Cosmo looked at him. Blinked, a frown deep across his face.  
"I miss it, Ace. I don’t feel right without it. Empty," he whispered.  
Ace nodded, brushing the red hair back gently. He could only imagine what his young friend was describing. Did not want to imagine it in truth. Ace was always aware of the Magic Force. It was always around him, flowing. Part of him and his world, in both body and mind. Even when he had been drugged once he could still feel the magic, even if he could not reach it. Cosmo’s senses were different, but no less linked to that temperamental power. All magic wielders were aware of their own magic at the very least. Cosmo more so, aware of his own magic as well as Ace’s through the link that was now gone. Empty did not seem like a fit enough description.  
"We will sort this out, Cosmo. We will!“ Like hell if he wasn’t going to find out what had happened.  
Cosmo shuddered hard, body slumping against the couch back suddenly, his head rolling back. Ace leapt up, worried that he had passed out, but Cosmo was still awake, looking into the distance again, staring far beyond the spanning glass ceiling above the living room. Ace slumped down beside his young friend, brushing back the fiery hair.  
"Just rest, Cosmo. Okay? Just rest,“ he said softly. He kept speaking, meaningless things, but just offering a calm voice for the young man to latch onto.  
Ace felt a thread of sweat roll down his back and pulled off his jacket. Angel had gotten the heat up and that was good. His partner was still shocky, but the trembling was easing. Slowly, beneath the encasing protection of his cloak and the soothing touch of his voice.  
"Just rest. It will be okay, Cosmo.“  
Cosmo turned slightly, looking at him, the eyes finally seeming to see him for the first time.  
"Promise?“ he rasped weakly.  
Ace nodded, never breaking his gaze. Offered a reassuring smile.  
"I promise.“  
Cosmo let out a little shudder, head dropping against his chest.  
"Can’t feel it, Ace. Miss it. Just so empty. Alone,“ it came out almost in a whimper.  
Ace gathered the young man against him reassuringly. It was one of Cosmo’s worst fear: being alone. And to his way of seeing.. feeling.. he now was.  
"You’re not alone, Cosmo,“ Ace stated firmly. "You are not alone.“ He stated that fact again and again, keeping close, only leaving long enough to retrieve a first aid kit. In that time the change had been startling. Cosmo had been somewhat calm when Ace left, sitting quietly on the couch, rubbing incessantly at his arms. A nervous gesture that seemed to replace some of what he had lost. That had been how Ace had left him. When he returned, the young man was standing, pacing, moving furtively between one door, then the other, trembling badly, muttering softly to himself. Lost again. Desperate. Once again not recognizing Ace upon his return.  
Cosmo had not be understating the fact. He was having trouble interacting with the world around him. Badly so. Ace could only pray the condition would improve with time. Little time, he hoped, till he solved this mystery. Ace knew Cosmo related to the world around him through his magic more than he did, but that extent had never been fully realized before. Withdrawal. It was the only apt word for it. Cosmo was going through withdrawal. So Ace would treat it as such.  
"You with me here?“ he urged gently as he tended the burn. Ace would have liked to take Cosmo to the hospital, the burn was second degree, possibly third, but in his state...  
No, Cosmo would not do well. Would hate it and possibly him for going. So he tended the injury to the best of his ability. The first aid kits, liberally distributed about the Express, were well stocked. His profession was not the safest of careers.  
Cosmo nodded slightly, trying to hold his hand still for his partner. "Yeah, here,“ he whispered desperately. In time Ace had calmed him down and recognition had returned. He kept him bound up tight in the warm cape, trying to help Cosmo tie himself closer with his presence.  
"Good. Does this hurt?“ Ace nodded to the hand.  
A quick, negative shake. "No. Kinda numb all over,“ Cosmo admitted. "Sorry.“  
Ace smiled gently, patting his friend's hand. "Don’t be. This isn’t your fault,“ he assured, finishing binding the burn.  
The moment he freed the hand it went back to rubbing against Cosmo’s arms. The desperate twitching made his gut clench.  
What had happened and how had it been done? It was his one burning thought.  
Only a step below the other thought careening in his skull.  
How do I fix this?  
"Cosmo,“ Ace called, the teen forcing his attention on him. He offered a smile at the effort. "I need to know everything that happened. Do you remember?“  
Cosmo nodded, the motion almost spastic.  
"Yeah, kind of remember.... Package arrived, thought it was the part. Something was in there,“ his voice drifted as his eyes glazed over.  
Ace touched his arm worriedly. "Cosmo, what was in there?“ he pressed, letting his hand wrap around one slender wrist, offering a grounding point.  
Cosmo frowned. "Small... round.. in the kitchen." he whispered distantly. "In the kitchen. When.. when I touched it.. held it. Felt something. Then.. then.“  
Ace wrapped his arms around his apprentice as Cosmo’s voice cracked, becoming a sob. Then the change had happened. Then Cosmo lost his magic and his link. He didn’t need to hear it. He was seeing the results.  
The small, pewter globe was right where Cosmo had said it would be, right in the middle of the floor in the kitchen. Ace knelt by it, hearing an unhappy hiss from Cosmo, but went no nearer. His partner stared at the small object with almost an abject hatred, leaning against the door frame unsteadily.  
Ace hadn’t even thought of leaving his friend behind, even though he should be resting. Currently, Cosmo was too messed up to be left alone for a moment.  
"You want me.. to get the gloves?“ Cosmo asked softly.  
Ace shook his head. "No, no need,“ he sighed and waved his hand over the small ball.  
Blue light danced around the small globe as it disappeared in a glittering shower of sparks. Safely transported to Angel’s console scanner. No fuss, no muss. Ace glanced up to his partner as the spell finished and felt a strange pang of dismay at Cosmo’s complete lack of reaction. Nothing. One of Cosmo’s strongest abilities was his emotional and magical link to Ace. The Relocation Spell, one of the more powerful ones, would register in the young man’s perception. But not so much as a twitch.  
God.  
"Angel, did you receive the metal ball?“ the magician called out, trying to bury the feeling of dread.  
"Yes, Ace. What do you wish me to do with it?“ Angel queried curiously.  
"Everything. I want every possibly detail noted and analyzed. Give me a complete breakdown on the object.“ He stressed every word heavily.  
"Yes, Ace. Scan beginning,“ Angel assured softly as Ace shoved himself up.  
'Please,' he thought to himself, 'let the answer be found.'

Cosmo watched as Ace’s hand moved over the sphere. Nothing. Complete nothing. He willed himself to feel the magic. Strained his perception for the least glimmering of echoing Magic Force. Nothing. Complete nothing! He stifled the sob that wanted to break free. Gone. Empty.. Damn it! He didn’t want to feel like this. Not now, not ever! He saw Ace looking at him, watching for his reaction and the sob nearly broke free again. What could he say, do? He felt nothing. Even before his own magic had started breaking through, Cosmo had always sort of been... aware, of Ace’s magic. Kind of felt the tingle of it, even if he wasn’t consciously aware of it. But even now that was gone...  
His arms locked tighter around his torso, clutching hopelessly at each other. With a rough swallow he shrugged miserably, unable to look at his friend, ashamed at how much he missed his magic, that he wasn’t handling it better, taking it like a man. But damn it. Empty, no link. So damn empty.  
"If anyone can find something...“ he murmured, still not able to look at Ace. No connection, no connection with his friend and partner, and that was worse than not feeling the magic. A whole hell of a lot worse.  
"Angel will,“ Ace finished, offering a small smile.  
It was meant to comfort and Cosmo appreciated the gesture, but that was all it was, a gesture. The magician came over and gently took his elbow, steering him about. Cosmo didn‘t really mind, he was thinking a touch more coherently. Only a touch. But Ace’s presence, his nearness... If it wasn’t for that Cosmo knew what would happen. Lost, empty and messed up again. No, he didn’t mind Ace guiding him down the familiar halls that were strangely wrong to him now.  
‘Please,’ he prayed fervently as they went. ‘Let Ace find the answer. Please!’

Ace watched Cosmo from the corner of his eye as they made their way to the computer room. The teen was quiet, seemingly concentrating on their route but apparently a touch more with it. For now.  
"Angel,“ he called as they entered. "Scanning pallet please.“  
"Yes, Ace,“ Angel confirmed, voice slightly distant, part of her AI self concentrating on the task of scanning the sphere.  
Cosmo looked at him uncertainly as the yellow lights traced a section of floor and the table scanner rose silently.  
"We need all the information we can get, Cosmo,“ he explained gently, hope blossoming ever so slightly as understanding glittered in the haunted gray eyes of his apprentice  
"And Angel has all my medical records,“ Cosmo murmured. "Smart thinking, Ace.“  
Ace accepted the compliment with a nod. If anything physically had been altered in his young friend, it would show up in comparison scan.  
"Here,“ he said as Cosmo laid down, Ace offering a supportive hand as the teen leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.  
"Nice view,“ Cosmo joked weakly. "Solid black, real cheerful.“ The ceiling. The one part of the room that was neither lit nor painted. Not a fact Ace had noticed till now.  
"Nothing wrong with black,“ Ace quipped. "It’s one of my more favorite colors.“ That brought a small quirk of a smile to Cosmo’s lips as he closed his eyes.  
"Thanks, Ace,“ he sighed softly, the eyes slitting open briefly. "For trying to cheer me up.“  
Ace rested his hand on Cosmo’s shoulder with a light pat. "We will find the cause, Cosmo. I promise,“ he returned, sincerely, firmly.  
Cosmo nodded, eyes dropping shut again. "Yeah,“ he sighed, not sounding wholly convinced. "Yeah.“  
With a last pat Ace retreated to the console, taking a seat, pausing as the door opened and allowed Zina entry. The large cat had been hovering at the edges, unsure what to do given Cosmo’s suddenly altered state. Ace was little better off than the cat, as he activated the scanner. Angel was busy enough with the scan of the sphere, he could handle the comparison scan well enough on his own.  
Zina wandered over to him as the green scanning beam slid over Cosmo’s prone form, then back again, the young man total ignorant of it. Ace gave the cat the briefest of glances as the scan finished. A sad smile came to his face as the panther strolled over to the scanning pad, sniffing with almost disdain.  
Then, with an effortless leap, she launched up and landed silently beside Cosmo. Cosmo jerked in surprise as the scanner rocked from the large cat's landing.  
"Hey girl,“ he chuckled, reaching up and scratching one ear.  
Zina rumbled and purred and then promptly lay her head on Cosmo’s chest, making it very clear that she expected his full attention.  
Ace smiled. Zina’s timing was perfect. It would give Cosmo something other than his own condition to think about as the computer started correlating the information. Zina at her motherly best. Even after all these years the panther still treated Cosmo as her first child.  
He frowned as the comparisons started rolling through.  
Normal. Normal. Normal. Whoa!  
Ace felt his breathing hitch. There was a change. Two of them to be exact. One registering in Cosmo’s nervous system; the electrical impulses far lower than they should be. The other was in his brain. Also showing a declined electrical output.  
 The magician frowned. Was that all it took to shut down the young man’s grasp of magic? Ace shivered. It was an entirely frightening prospect, that. To have such an intimate portion of yourself ripped away. But how? Still the how had to be answered and Ace wasn’t entirely convinced that these two changes where the lone causes.  
"Ace?“  
Ace jerked, looking up as Angel formed. Cosmo turned toward the luminous purple hologram, still petting the purring cat, but no longer smiling. Waiting for the bad news. So was Ace.  
"Yes, Angel. What have you found?“  
Angel pulsed. "The ball is no longer a threat, Ace. It was a capacitor, carrying a single electrical charge. There are, however, odd energy residuals still present. While the ball did carry a normal electrical charge, there are signs it also contained a second energy source as well."  
Ace frowned "Can you identify it?“  
Angel pulsed, shrunk and grew. Not a good sign. "The closest reference I have to the residual energy source would be one of your own energy discharges, Ace. No other power source matches."  
Ace stiffened and Cosmo gasped.  
Magic? Magic mixed with technology?! It was not unheard of, but rarely worked. Mostly being an experimental pursuit for some. An experiment gone right.  
"What triggered the device, Angel?“  
"Uncertain. I have found a small control chip inside the sphere. It was damaged in the initial discharge, but apparently the trigger device was the proximity of a certain energy wavelength.“  
"A wavelength similar to the ones Cosmo and I radiate?“ Ace asked dreadfully.  
"Yes, Ace.“  
"Do you know of anyone else with such energy signatures?“ Ace went on.  
"Yes. Kate Morrigan also emits such a wavelength, Ace.“  
Ace closed his eyes. Magic users. The sphere was aimed specifically against a magic user.  
"Ace?“  
Ace forced himself to look at Cosmo and the desperate gleam in his gray eyes. The scans gave them an idea of what was happening, but still left too many questions. Such as, was the effect permanent, and who had fashioned the ball?  
"It was.. meant for you.. wasn’t it?“ Cosmo rasped slowly.  
Ace flinched and his hand tightened into a fist. Yes. Cosmo’s magic was a closely guarded secret. More people knew of Ace’s abilities. And not all of them were friends. This little damnation was a trap. A trap for him and Cosmo had become it’s unwitting victim.

Cosmo lay on the scanning pallet, mind working furiously as Angel gave them some more facts to work with. It was all he could do, not to fall into the emptiness inside him now.  
"That’s not all... It couldn't have been all," he muttered to himself, frowning.  
Ace gazed blankly at him.  
"Ace...!" Cosmo suddenly rasped, struggling off the pallet. His mind was almost whirring and clicking audibly with his thoughts racing so fast. The magician was at his side in a heartbeat. "Think, Ace... someone made sure this thing would work against you and only you," Cosmo went on trying to hold a coherent thought. Why was it so damn hard, why couldn’t he think straight? When had the magic and the link become so much a part of his world?  
"But... but, there’s a reason," he managed, shivering. "It took your magic.... my magic... magic in general, but it didn't kill." Another dark thought. Thank God, he was still alive. Or was it really something to be thankful for?  
Ace frowned, unconsciously wrapping an arm around him but it did not help. He wasn’t cold just... messed up.  
"You’re thinking that the trap is only the beginning," his partner said thoughtfully.  
Cosmo nodded madly, red hair flicking about. "Yeah... more.. You have to, have to.." Damn, it was hard to think!  
"Easy, Cosmo," Ace said softly, trying to urge him back onto the pallet. "You need to rest."  
"No!" he snapped irritably. Resting wasn’t going to get his magic back or more importantly the link. "No! I don't need rest!"  
He shoved off Ace’s arm and glared up at him, feeling a distant pang of guilt at the hurt in his older friend's eyes. Damn, Ace was only trying to help. If he had the link he’d have known that. Big *if* at the moment.  
"Whoever the guy is who sent the package, he'll believe it has worked. He'll believe you've lost your magic, dude."  
"But I still have it," Ace said almost inaudibly, as if he was afraid that the mere reminder would send Cosmo back into shock again. Well, he wasn't too far off with that.  
"Pretend you lost you magic, Ace. Pretend. It’s what he thinks," Cosmo explained, surprisingly calm despite his erratic trembling. "It's our only chance! We have to play-act."  
Was he making sense? Was his brain really working or was he spouting gibberish?  
"Pretend..." Ace murmured, brow dropping thoughtfully. "Of course! Then we could draw out our culprit. If he believes that I’ve lost my magic..."  
Cosmo nodded, excited.  
"Then he might try to come finish you off, Ace. Then we can catch him."  
Ace rubbed at his face, staring at no point in particular. "We need to start getting an idea of who would send me this globe."  
"Maybe.. Maybe start with our own security video. Make sure it was the mail carrier that delivered it," Cosmo ventured slowly.  
Ace nodded. "Good idea. We should also go over all our *negative* fan mail."  
Negative fan mail was their little file for threats. Some major, some minor, but all recorded. Not that anything had ever come of any of them. Most public figures received some hate mail after all, but right now, any lead could matter.  
"I can take care of that, it’s late enough already," Ace sighed. "And you need sleep."  
Cosmo frowned. "Ace.."  
Ace raised his hand at the protest. "Cosmo, you’ve been through enough already. Please, I would like it if you'd try to get some rest." He held one shoulder firmly. "I can get things started here. Right now though, I’d think it’d best if you take it easy."  
Cosmo shivered, rubbed at his arms, face becoming a permanent frown. "I... I'd rather stay here." Cosmo shrugged. "Just... just not alone, Ace. I.. please?"  
Ace looked critically at him and knew he couldn’t argue. The desperation and fear were just too plain on his friend's face.  
"Only if you lay down. I mean it, I want you to rest," he countered and Cosmo flashed a weak attempt at a smile, pointedly flopping back onto the pallet.  
"Can do," he murmured, Zina nuzzling closer.  
Ace nodded and went to the control console to set to work.

* * *

 _  
The sun shone above the high trees, fingers of light piercing through the leafy canopy overhead, lancing toward the ground. Birds flew through the warm, summer air, insects buzzed, and the cloudless sky seemed like a painting. People milled on the green grass, gathering around an ugly tear in the ground, a deep, dark hole.  
_   
_  
Black.  
_   
_  
Fathomless.  
_   
_  
Sucking up the light.  
_   
_  
He stood next to the hole, feeling distant and still very much real in one. People passed him by, muttering to themselves, and he thought he heard prayers.  
_   
_  
Prayers....?  
_   
_  
He raised his eyes, blinking as he discovered a priest. The man was dressed in the ceremonial robes of his church, his voice droning through the warm air.  
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_  
Insects buzzed around him.  
_   
_  
Sweat broke out on his back, a trickle running down between his shoulder blades.  
_   
_  
More people appeared, their formerly colorful clothes turning a dull gray, then black. They mourned, standing around the hole in the ground, whispering, crying, holding each other. One of them was a woman he recognized. Red hair was tightly bound, stuffed beneath an elegant hat, the black dress hugging a shapely figure.  
_   
_  
"Mona?" he asked, voice a mere whisper.  
_   
_  
The woman stretched out one hand that suddenly held a white rose. Tears were in her eyes, her face stricken by grief. The rose turned black as it tumbled into the open hole.  
_   
_  
Grave.  
_   
_  
Grave?!  
_   
_  
The people seemed to disappear in a haze, the sky clouding over with the fog rising out of the ground so fast that it stole his breath within a second. Shadows moved, the voices whispered nonsense words, and he became aware of something missing.  
_   
_  
He looked around. He was alone.  
_   
_  
It was getting colder.  
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_  
Numbness permeated his body.  
_   
_  
"Ace?" he whispered.  
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_  
His body ached with the loss of something he had not yet been able to define.  
_   
_  
Ace was gone.  
_   
_  
All he had ever felt from Ace was gone. The link...  
_   
_  
He gasped.  
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_  
"Ace!" he screamed into the fog.  
_   
_  
The shadows coalesced into people and he was suddenly face to face with a slender woman. Her dark hair was shot through with gray and her gray eyes seemed to pierce right through his soul.  
_   
_  
"Have you seen him?" she asked.  
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_  
Wrinkled hands clutched a bronze staff with a yellow stone on top of it. The orange-yellow light it spread was diffuse in the fog.  
_   
_  
"What...?" he stuttered.  
_   
_  
"He is gone. Where is he?" she demanded.  
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_  
He stumbled back and collided with someone else. He jumped back, gasping loudly. The shadow behind him was nothing but a black mass, quickly swallowed in the fog.  
_   
_  
"Ace!" he cried.  
_   
_  
But Ace was gone. The link was gone. He was alone.  
_   
_  
The fog closed in around him and the whispers rose to a crescendo. Coldness seeped into his very soul, ice freezing his breath.  
_   
_  
Alonealonealonealone......  
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_  
"Ace!!"  
_

He woke with a start, crying out a name, trashing in the already severely messed up bed. Drenched in sweat he fought invisible demons, screaming as they fought back.  
Ace.... the link....gone...alone!  
"Ace!" he cried, his voice muffled by the pillow, tears streaming down his face.  
No Ace. No magic. All gone. The link.....gone.....  
So alone.  
Cosmo struggled against his blanket, trying to get up, movements uncoordinated as the cold of the missing link seeped through him, permeating every cell.  
So cold.  
Alone.  
He managed to get out of the bed, knees weak, breathing labored.  
The magic was no more. All he felt was the nothingness inside, the ice forming in his soul.  
Cosmo stumbled toward the door, his mind a mess, thoughts running into each other and making no sense. There was a faint pain coming from his hand, but he was too confused to actually think about what it meant. The pain inside his soul was far greater.  
Yearning.  
Needing.  
The link. The magic. Ace.  
The door slid open, the darkness of the corridor before him. The blackness beckoned to him, calling, whispering, and he smiled faintly. Darkness, oblivion, no more pain.  
Stumbling feet took him into the corridor where he fell against the cool, metal wall. He sobbed softly, shaken by the emotional upheaval inside, wrecked by the nothingness that spread further and further.  
"Cosmo?"  
The voice drilled into his mind, jerking him around. "Ace?" he whispered, voice barely audible.  
A shadow fell over him and his knees gave way.

Ace didn't know what exactly had woken him, but he hadn't slept all that deeply to begin with. Or long. Having sorted through the threat file to find nothing conclusive and the security video showed no one but their regular mail carrier. Cosmo had given into sleep late and, almost experimentally, Ace had relocated him to his bedroom. The teen hadn’t so much as twitched during the magical transfer. It only drove home the fact of what had happened as he readied his young friend for bed before retiring himself. Troubled by dreams he wouldn't call nightmares but which were far from pleasant either, he had woken at intervals. This time, though, something nagged at his mind. A cry from outside in the corridor made him jump out of the bed in a flash.  
"Angel, lights!"  
The lights flared, blinding him briefly, but Ace didn't care. He knew the way by heart. As he ran out, he caught sight of his friend slumped against the corridor wall, shaking badly.  
"Cosmo!"  
Cosmo turned his head, the corridor night lights reflecting off the tear-stained face.  
Oh, god!  
Ace sank down beside the badly shaking teenager, touching him gently. Cosmo flinched, wide, glazed eyes flickering over Ace's face.  
"Ace?" he rasped, sounding hurt and despaired.  
"I'm here, Cosmo. Everything is okay."  
"Alone," he whimpered.  
Ace's heart contracted. He wrapped an arm around the trembling shoulders. "No, you're not alone."  
Cosmo didn't seem to hear him. He suddenly clung to Ace, fingers digging into the robe Ace had thrown on, sobs wreaking through his body.  
"Alone!" he cried. "Gone. Magic..... you.... the link..... can't feel it!"  
"Shhhh," he whispered, rubbing the teen's arms.  
Cosmo sobbed uncontrollably. "I know I never wanted it," he hiccuped. "But it's totally gone now. All. I want it back. Cold.... feel so cold....." His teeth started to chatter.  
Ace held him tightly, praying that Cosmo wouldn't go into complete shock. He knew how much Cosmo had fought against the magic inside him, how much he had tried to suppress it when it had surfaced, but it was an integral part of him. It was him. Even before it had surfaced as the ability to wield the power, it had been him. Now.... now all was gone and it left him empty. Ace couldn't even imagine what it meant, what it was like not to feel the warmth the magic represented, the silent caress of the power against his senses.  
Cosmo quieted down after a while, but he was still clinging, still shaking, and Ace held on, unminding where they were. After a while, the trembling eased as well, but he continued rubbing the bare arms and Cosmo's back.  
"Cosmo?"  
The teenager flinched.  
"It's okay, I'm here. You are not alone."  
Physical contact could never replace the link, the magician knew, but it was at least a partial anchor. Cosmo looked up at him, blurry, tear-filled eyes searching his face, and pain lanced through Ace. And the fervent oath that he would find whoever had done this, as well as the cure. Now he smiled at his scared friend.  
"How about we go back to your room?"  
Cosmo flinched violently. "No," he breathed. "Can't...."  
Nightmares, Ace thought. Terrible, terrible nightmares.  
"My room," he then decided and Cosmo hesitantly let him pull him up. Knees weak, he almost fell again, but Ace caught him easily.  
The bedroom was still lit up and the light spilled into the darker corridor like a beacon. It was 3:16 a.m., the night stand clock told him as Ace helped Cosmo down on the bed. Cosmo was staring ahead, hands curled into fists, hugging himself tightly.  
"Do you think you can sleep?" Ace asked softly.  
Emotionally exhausted eyes sought his and his whole insides clenched at the despairing expression. Cosmo was not dealing with this. Not at all.  
"Don't leave?" he begged, almost sounding like a small child.  
"I won't. I'll be here."  
Cosmo gazed at him, trying to find a lie, which slightly hurt Ace, but Cosmo was severely disturbed.  
"Trust me," he added gently.  
"Trust you. Always," Cosmos whispered fiercely.  
Ace squeezed his shoulder and urged him to lay down. He flopped into bed, tugged the blankets over his shivering body and huddled miserably. Ace sat next to him. The bed was large enough for him to sleep in as well, but he wasn't tired anymore. His mind was awhirl with anger, pain and shared emotional suffering, and Cosmo needed the sleep.  
"Sleep," he advised. "I'll be here. Promise."  
The teenager went back to sleep only slowly. Ace sat by as promised, watching him, saw the lines of pain smooth out one after another, listening to the regular breathing. It was close to five am when he dared rise, and he walked into the living room, rubbing tiredly over his face. Sleep was out of the question.  
"Angel, inform me when Cosmo wakes," he ordered.  
"As you wish, Ace," the AI answered.

***

The sun was just kissing the horizon when Ace came back out of the shower. He had used the guest shower since his bathroom was connected to his bedroom, and that meant disturbing Cosmo. Hair damp, dressed in only his pants and shirt, his bare feet made no sound on the carpeted floor. It was still too early to call Vega or anyone else, so Ace switched on his personal computer and went through his mail. Nothing spectacular. He then sent out several mails himself, rearranging today's and tomorrow's schedule so he had free time. He left a note in Vega's mailbox that he needed to talk to him.  
After that he walked into the computer center, coffee in one hand, and looked at the dull silver sphere that had started this. It was locked behind an energy field, no threat any more, but Ace didn't want to take any chances. He would have to hand the sphere over to Vega so the police could take it apart, but Angel had done her own examinations. He read through the prints, but they told him nothing new. All he read were the components, what metal and plastic had been used, and a whole list of possible companies producing this particular component. None had any serial numbers.  
Great.  
Maybe the police lab could tell more.  
Ace sighed and sipped at the already cooling coffee. Whoever had done this, he had tried to hit him. Long list, he thought wryly.  
Blackjack? Possible, but it wasn't his style. And after the incident with the bracelet, the crime lord had left him thankfully alone.  
Sunnyboy? Equally possible, but Sunnyboy was rather out of the personal mail bomb business. They hadn't had a serious encounter in months.  
Ace's brow furrowed. He had so many enemies, most of them small time criminals and not really bombers, but everyone was a suspect.  
Faceless? Not her style either. After their last encounter she had disappeared and not resurfaced. And she never actively went after her enemies if they left her alone.  
So who?  
Someone who knew about his magic. His true magic. That left him with pretty few possibilities.  
Another magician?  
Very possible. Yago was in prison, but he would have Angel check on him. Other show magicians didn't know about his real powers. His friends knew, of course.  
He sighed. All this revolved around someone he knew, someone who knew him, and someone who hated his guts. And who knew about magic.  
"Angel," he called.  
The softy glowing prism, the holographic representation of Angel, materialized next to him. "Yes, Ace?"  
"Compile a list with the following parameters, please: known magic users I know or have been in contact with, criminals who I ran into or apprehended and who have knowledge of time bombs correlating with the device, and generally criminals with technological know-how that would let them build such a device."  
"Yes, Ace," the AI confirmed and set to work.  
Ace rose and walked by the kitchen, dropping off the empty mug, then proceeded toward the bedroom. It was now close to 6:30 am and he wanted to check on Cosmo.  
The teenager was sleeping soundly, face almost free from pain and nightmares. Ace smiled softly and tip-toed out of the bedroom again.  
The next hour flew by as he distracted himself with more 'mundane' stuff, and he sent a mail to Kate, asking for her help with the problem. Maybe she knew of a reference, a prior occurrence of something like this. Ace himself had never heard of any magician ever losing his magic. It was unheard of. He would never have thought it possible himself. Now it had happened -- and it had happened to Cosmo of all possible candidates.  
Guilt raced through him like wildfire. The package had been addressed to his name. Cosmo had opened it, of course, thinking it to be the prop they needed, and he had been hit. Ace clenched his teeth and refrained from flinging something off the desk. Wouldn't help the least, not even his temper.  
Angel presented him with a rather short list of possible suspects around 7:45 am. He sighed as he went over it. Really not much to go on. A few names sprang to mind though.  
Jimmy Hagen. He was in a closed mental home. He knew about Ace's magic tricks and Ace harbored a suspicion that he knew a bit more, but in his mentally completely unstable condition, there was no further questioning possible. But he wasn't a candidate for the tech stuff.  
Then there was James Calen. Ace suppressed an angry snarl. The man who had killed Anna. Who had kidnapped Cosmo. Who had nearly killed him. And who was permanently in a home as well because magical backlash had destroyed his mind. The man had had the necessary technological knowledge to create such a sphere, but not in his current condition.  
With a sigh, he placed the papers on the table. "Angel? Check on Cosmo, please?"  
"Cosmo is still sleeping," the AI reported.  
The magician looked at the wall clock. Shortly after eight. He might be able to reach Vega now. He needed the sphere examined by professionals and if he presented the case as an attack, the police would get working -- whether Friedrichs liked him or not. An attack on a publicly known and well-liked figure was never to be taken easily.  
"Ace! I just read your mail," Vega greeted him. "What's up?"  
Ace told him. Slowly. In detail. Adding what he had already done to find the perp. Vega's face, which had been cheerful, had turned to stone right after the first few words about an attack. Now the brown eyes were full of suppressed anger and shared suffering.  
"I'll come over and pick up the ball -- except if you want to bring it here yourself?"  
Ace shook his head. "No. I can't leave Cosmo. I'll see if he is in any shape to leave the Express, then I'll call ahead."  
Vega nodded understanding. "I'll be here." With that he signed off.  
Ace leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. After a minute he rose and walked toward the bedroom. As much as he trusted Angel to call him, he also wanted to be with his young friend. If there was another nightmare....  
Cosmo had tossed around a bit, the covers were rumpled, and he was mumbling to himself. Ace sat down on the bed, careful not to disturb him. But it was enough. Cosmo's eyes flew open and he gasped, "Ace!"  
The older man carefully touched one bare arm. "I'm here. I'm fine. You are fine."  
Cosmo's chest rose and fell quickly, eyes madly dancing over his features. "Not fine," he whispered hoarsely. "It's gone."  
Ace sighed silently and squeezed the arm again. "But we will find a way to bring the magic back."  
"I don't care about the magic!" Cosmo hissed. "The link....."  
A sad smile graced Ace's lips. "The link was created through magic, Cosmo." He patted the arm. "How about you take a shower and I'll see if I can make a decent breakfast?"  
No quip about his missing culinary skills. Not even a smirk. Cosmo just nodded dully and laboriously got out of bed. Ace felt his heart clench and he ignored the stabbing pain in his soul as he watched his partner shuffle into the bedroom's single shower. Then he turned and went into the kitchen to see if he still had some pancakes and syrup.  
When Cosmo finally emerged from his shower, dressed in his usual clothes sans jacket, Ace had managed a stack of blueberry pancakes with syrup, as well as orange juice and coffee. As he looked at his friend, he barely refrained from biting his lower lip. Cosmo looked so wasted, like a drug withdrawal victim -- which in a way was true. Cosmo was suffering from magic withdrawal. His hair had lost its defiant bounce, his skin was paler than normal, the eyes dull, and he massaged the injured hand without even being aware of it. He ate his breakfast, but without enthusiasm, and Ace felt murderous thoughts rise to the forefront again. If he got his hands on the man who had sent this package....  
"Ace, you have a call," Angel suddenly informed him. "It's Dr. Morrigan."  
Cosmo looked up, surprise in his dull eyes. "You called Kate?" he asked, voice shaking a bit.  
Ace nodded. "If anyone might know of a similar occurrence, it's her. Angel, relay the call to the study. I'll be there in a moment."  
Cosmo followed him like a pale shadow, and Ace sat down in his chair, switching on the vid screen. Kate appeared a bit frazzled, as if she had just woken. Given that she, like him, had those nights where she rather worked on something than slept, it was not uncommon. She smoothed her russet hair back and gave him an odd look.  
"What the hell happened?" she asked.  
"And good morning to you, too," Ace said with a smile.  
Kate grimaced. "I don't know if I could call this morning good when I find such a mail in my box. What happened?"  
Ace told the tale the second time this day, watching Cosmo out of the corner of his eyes. The teenager was absolutely still, sitting in the second chair, appearing as if far away. He wasn't used to Cosmo being a pool of stillness. Even throughout their meditations, Cosmo was active. That was also the time Ace could kind of feel Cosmo's presence with him, vibrant and alive, never at rest for long, spreading energy through the magical continuum. Only then. Ace smiled briefly, then it turned into sadness. Kate's face grew serious from the first minute on, then scrunched up in deep thought.  
"I have to say that I never heard of anything like that before. But I'm not a walking encyclopedia, even if some say I am," she teased, winking at Cosmo.  
He tried to smile, but it came out all wrong.  
"I'll look it up, Ace, but I would appreciate the medical scan from Angel, as well as the report on the ball. Magic can take magic away, block it for a while. A friend of mine in Oxford experimented with that for a while. But a mechanical device? Whatever this thing emitted, it targeted the right centers of the brain and nervous system. Do you have an idea who it might have been?"  
"No," Ace confessed. "Probably a magician or someone who knows about me and my powers. Someone who doesn't know about Cosmo, which is everyone but our friends."  
Kate nodded slowly. "I'll get on it, but don't expect a miracle."  
"Thanks, Kate."  
She smiled, then the screen went dark. Ace swiveled the chair and looked at Cosmo, who returned the look with a rather hopeless expression.  
"We will find a solution," Ace said softly.  
"Yeah," was the completely unconvinced answer.  
He dredged up a smile. "I wanted to drop by Vega and give him the sphere for examination. We have to do an official report to get it into the labs, but that won't be long. Think you are up to it or do you want to stay home?"  
"No!" Cosmo blurted. "Not alone!"  
Ace inhaled softly. "I won't leave you alone. You are not alone, Cosmo!" he insisted.  
"I am," the younger man whispered. The good hand touched his chest. "Empty and alone. All gone."  
Ace rose and walked over to him, crouching down in front of the trembling teen. He touched his knees. "You are not alone," he repeated. "Never."  
"I feel so.... dead," he moaned.  
"You aren't. Neither am I. We both live and we will get through this!" Ace insisted.  
Cosmo tried to pull himself together, but his hold on his emotional balance was frail.  
"We'll go and report the attack, nothing more. I also want you to get your hand examined in case the burn infects. Nobody will know about the magic. Okay?" Ace felt like talking to a child.  
Cosmo nodded slowly and rose as he did. They left the Express half an hour later, the ball still in a safety container, and were on their way to the precinct.

* * *

"Out of my way, guys! Out of my way!"  
"Date of birth?"  
"How many were there, ma'm?"  
"Hey, Kel! You still owe me breakfast!"  
"Get your hands off my discs!"  
"I just looked at her and suddenly she hit me!"  
"Greg! Phone!"  
The precinct was busy, but Ace wove his way through the crowd of officers, plain clothes and criminals, Cosmo in tow. The teen was silent, too silent for Ace's liking, and he kept closer than usual to Ace. If he could have, he would have grabbed a piece of his cloak or taken his arm, just to reassure himself that he wasn't dreaming. Ace was so wishing this was just a bad dream, but it was the cold reality. They arrived at Vega's office and slipped inside, the hubbub from outside dying down as Ace closed the door. It was a busy morning and it promised to be even worse in the evening.  
Mareen LeSage, good soul of this place and more than just a secretary to Vega, looked up and smiled at him. "You can go right in," she told them. "The lieutenant is waiting."  
Ace nodded his thanks and ushered Cosmo into the small office next to the secretary's. Vega was busy scribbling notes as they entered and glanced up briefly, gesturing at Ace and Cosmo to sit down. He finished his notes and then closed the folder, shoving it aside. His eyes wandered over the silent red-head and worry creased his features.  
"I called Forensics already," he told Ace. "Feretti is making some room for the examination of this device. You know you have to file this, right?"  
Ace nodded. "We are ready to do that."  
"Good. Where is it?"  
Ace held out one hand, made a gesture, and the safety box materialized. Through the non-conducting, transparent plastic, Vega studied the ball.  
"Looks harmless enough," he rumbled.  
Ace's features were stony. "It's far from it."  
"I'll get it right down to the lab. You give me your statement and sign it." He eyed the still silent Cosmo, frowning at the bandaged hand. "You seen a doctor yet?"  
Cosmo mutely shook his head.  
"We're going there after we're done here," Ace supplied.  
"Okay." Vega gingerly took the box and put it on a sideboard.  
Ace filled out the complaint, let Cosmo sign it, and then followed Vega to the lab.  
Manuel Feretti was a small, dark-skinned man of Hispanic ancestry, with a shock of dark hair and a beard shadow. He was dressed in plain clothes over which he wore a lab coat, and his almost black eyes were hidden behind wire-frame glasses.  
"Tell you more about that thing in two hours," he said, nodding to Ace but not giving him much of a second look.  
"Call me on the cell phone," Vega told him as he signed the appropriate papers.  
"Will do." With that the lab technician walked off.  
"I'll be out talking to a few people because of another case this morning, Ace, but I'll let you know about the results the moment I have them," Vega promised as they went back.  
"I'll be at the Express."  
They said good-bye and Ace walked back to the Racer, Cosmo as silent as the whole time.  
"How do you feel?" he asked him.  
"Cold," Cosmo mumbled. "So cold....." He hugged himself.  
Ace stopped at the Racer, which was parked in a side street next to the precinct, and looked at Cosmo, who didn't even meet his eyes. If there was a spell to undo what had been done, Ace would not have hesitated to call it. Whatever the cost. But right now, he was powerless to do anything. Except be there for his friend. He touched one slim shoulder and Cosmo looked up quickly. He saw tears in the large, gray eyes, tears of emotional pain and desperation, and it tore at him even more.  
Without hesitation, Ace hugged the slender teenager to him, wrapping his arms around the sobbing Cosmo.  
"I want it back so badly," Cosmo whispered. "It's not there, you're not there....."  
"I am here," Ace insisted, tightening his hold, letting the cape fall over Cosmo. "I am here and I won't leave."  
"Not the same," Cosmo breathed.  
No, it wasn't the same, but it was all he could offer.  
"We have to get you checked out by a doctor," he told the teenager. "We'll see if Amanda is at the ER and has some time. Then we'll go home." He detached Cosmo, who went only hesitantly, and held the blurry gaze. "And we will find a way to undo this."  
"What if it is permanent?"  
Ace inhaled deeply. Yes, what then? The possibility existed. "We'll deal with that when we get there," he then answered.

* * *

The hospital was crowded as always, but Dr. Amanda Beckett was thankfully not on duty in the ER. She rarely did shifts there anymore, having acquired a new position as chief surgeon in the trauma department. Ace had asked the nurse on duty if Amanda was in and she had called the doctor. Now they were in one of the treatment cubicles, Cosmo sitting on the examination table, Ace close by. He had briefly told Amanda what had happened and she had frowned at him.  
"You should have come right away, Ace. Burns like these are not to be taken lightly." She carefully palpated the reddened, burned flesh.  
Cosmo winced slightly but didn't say a word.  
"I know," Ace sighed, "but it didn't look too bad," he lied. "We filed a report with the police this morning as well. Lieutenant Vega has the report."  
Dr. Beckett dabbed at the wound with some disinfectant, drawing a hiss from her patient. She then grabbed a roll of bandages.  
"I know you have your share of experience with all kinds of injuries, Ace, but how about you leave it to the professionals? I wouldn't try to saw someone in half either." She flashed him a grin.  
Ace returned it.  
Amanda taped the bandages and looked at her work. Cosmo now sported a brightly white bandage all the way up to his wrist, partially immobilizing his hand. "You have to change this every day. No showering without some kind of waterproof protection. I'll prescribe a burn salve you should apply liberally each time you rewrap it. Understood?"  
Both men nodded, Cosmo without showing much enthusiasm.  
"Anything else? Scrapes? Bruises? Broken bones?" she teased lightly.  
Ace laughed. Amanda could almost be called a personal physician, she had treated them both so often.  
"Thankfully no. But what this thing did was enough."  
"I'll say. I'll send the medical report to Lieutenant Vega."  
Ace nodded.  
They left the hospital a little while later, driving back to the Express.

* * *

Cosmo felt alone. Completely and utterly alone. He knew Ace was still there, alive and well, he could see it, but he couldn't feel it. The link was gone.  
Forever....  
No, no, don't think like that. Maybe it's not gone. Maybe what this device did can be undone.  
 _Dream on_ , the nasty, dark part of him whispered.  
He huddled into the back of the Magic Racer, feeling miserable, being miserable, longing and yearning for the magic to return. Ace was trying to relay his closeness, that he was still there, but Cosmo knew it would never be the same.  
They arrived at the Express without him even noticing. Only when the car settled down with a gentle thud did he wake from his thoughts. Ace looked at him, compassion in his gray eyes, wanting to help but unable to. Cosmo climbed out of the Racer, trudging after Ace, unconsciously shuffling closer. As if by pure closeness he could feel part of Ace. But not even a spark rose from the dark pit that was his inside.  
"Hungry?" Ace asked.  
Cosmo shook his head. No, he didn't feel hungry.  
Afraid, yes. Desperate. Terrified.... All but not hungry.  
A hand touched him and it took all not to cling to Ace like a frightened child throughout a thunderstorm. Oh god, but it was how he felt. Like a child in a big, ugly, cold world. Ace relayed his support through his eyes, his touch, tried to keep him in the present. Cosmo didn't want to be in the present, in this reality. It hurt so much.  
"I want to go by the mental institutions where two suspects are currently held," Ace said as he buttered a sandwich.  
Cosmo nodded. "Okay." He had no energy for anything more lengthy.  
"Coming along?"  
It was a simple question, but it resulted in a violent lurch of emotions inside Cosmo. Not alone! God, not alone! Don't leave me! He didn't know if he had spoken it out loud, but Ace could clearly read it in his eyes. The older man smiled calmly.  
"Take a sandwich along," he advised. "You might get hungry."  
Cosmo sighed, both relieved and annoyed, the first different emotion from the fear rising today. He wasn't hungry! Still, he grabbed a bag of snacks, much to Ace's frown, and they were off again.

* * *

The Tayler Home was a large brickstone building in the middle of a wide field of green grass, tall trees and little clumps of bushes. A high fence was around the whole compound, guarded by electronic surveillance and human guards. Throughout its existence, Tayler Home had been expanded, the latest addition a glass and steel wing that looked more like a modern art museum piece than a hospital wing. People milled on the grounds, most of them patients with their visitors, the nurses and doctors, as well as a few psychologists. Tayler Home was a mixed home, for both the light cases and the worst.  
James Calen was one of the worst. The man was awake, but not really conscious, his mind wiped out by a magical overdose. He had been placed in the high security ward because though he was nothing more but a living shell, he was still a criminal. A murderer.  
Ace's eyes were hard and cold as he looked through the transparent wall that separated him from the monster who had killed Anna. In the two years that had passed since that day, he had tried not to think of him, not to envision the evil laugh, the absolute darkness of the other's soul. Calen had kidnapped and tortured Cosmo, he had killed Anna LeFrez, he had tortured Ace and nearly killed him as well..... All because of some silly jealousy. Now he had paid for his crimes. Dearly. The utter price. His sanity.  
"There have been no changes," the doctor who had introduced himself as Marek Dukakis explained. "He doesn't react to outside stimuli, he can eat and drink when urged, but otherwise, Mr. Calen is completely unresponsive. He hasn't left this room except when his nurse takes him for a stroll. We frequently run brain scans, but all his higher functions have been shut down. The body does what is necessary to live, but beyond that...." He shrugged.  
Ace studied the frail form in the bed, the blond hair cut and washed, the features lax and lifeless. A far cry from the man he had met. A vegetable. Cosmo was at his side, face just as stony, also recalling the events from the past.  
"He hasn't been out of the institute?" Ace clarified.  
"No. He is allowed to have visitors, but to be honest, Mr. Cooper: Mr. Calen is unable to do more than just exist. If left to his own devices, he'd starve to death."  
Ace nodded, then turned to the stocky man. Dukakis was rather young, with a round face, a black mustache and dark eyes. He was at least two heads shorter than Ace and radiated a bouncy air. Suddenly he frowned.  
"Visitors? Did he have any?"  
"Oh, yes. A young man comes here once a week. He's a friend of Mr. Calen and he takes him out into the park, talks to him, reads to him. Nothing shows any effect, but the effort is laudable."  
Alarm bells started ringing. "A friend? Do you have a name?"  
"I'd have to ask the nurse. He's pretty well known by now."  
Dukakis led them to the main nurses' desk of this wing. A tall, dark-haired woman was busy with the computer, but she smiled at them when the men stopped at the station.  
"What can I do for you, Dr. Dukakis?" she asked.  
"Lori, do you know the name of Mr. Calen's visitor? The young man who comes here frequently?"  
She nodded. "Thomas. Brian Thomas. Nice guy. Shy, a bit on the pale side, but very devoted."  
"Do you have an address where we can reach him?" Ace wanted to know.  
"No. He comes here to visit, but he isn't next of kin and never asked to be listed as such." Lori looked apologetic.  
Ace nodded slowly. "Thank you."  
They left again, Cosmo still too silent, Ace brooding over the facts. Calen couldn't have sent the device. The man was unable to do anything without help. So if he was behind it, he had had help. From Brian Thomas? And maybe he was wrong. He climbed into the Racer and drove back toward the City. He had more leads to check.  
Yago was still in prison, now a high security facility, along with several other criminal candidates. Ace had even tried to check up on Faceless, but the woman had disappeared off the face of the earth. His last stop this day was the Gray Prison Building on the other side of Electro City where Jimmy Hagen was in. He was in the psychiatric ward, which was no different from the other cells, except that the medical personnel was also trained as security guards. Ace and Cosmo passed several security barriers and finally got through to the head of the psychiatric ward. It was a fair-haired, tall man with a full beard, sparkling blue eyes and laugh lines visible around his eyes. He introduced himself as Ulf Gartner, speaking with a slight accent. He was a psychologist, responsible for currently forty-five men and women.  
"Mr. Hagen is a rather... difficult man from time to time," he now said, smiling slightly. "His magical tricks make it hard for us to keep him locked in any of the normal cells. He has quite a repertoire. We keep him in the electronic surveillance cells."  
"Have there been any visitors? Can he leave the institute?"  
"Yes to the first questions, no to the second. The court order was quite strict in that regard. He can't leave the facilities. He might be mentally not in the right frame of mind, but he is dangerous. He lives in the past a lot, talks to his dead grandfather and such things, but he has moments of lucidity."  
"And the visitors?"  
Gartner shrugged. "Family. We have to keep track of who visits. Mostly his mother and sister. I think he was engaged before he went criminal, but the fiancee has yet to show."  
Ace looked thoughtful. "Thank you for your time, Dr. Gartner," he then said.  
"Any special interest as to why you needed these questions answered, Mr. Cooper? I am well aware of your history with Mr. Hagen, but...." He left the sentence unfinished.  
"Something has occurred lately that might have involved Jimmy Hagen -- if he were able to leave here. Or were in the right frame of mind to do."  
Gartner frowned. "Mr. Hagen hasn't been outside this institution since he was brought here. Visitors are closely monitored and no one is allowed to leave without proper searches. Our prisoners are not allowed to give anything to their visitors."  
"I understand. Thank you, Doctor."  
"My pleasure."  
"Another dead end," Ace sighed as he was inside the Racer again, glancing at Cosmo through the rearview mirror.  
Cosmo shrugged. "Might have an accomplice who doesn't visit."  
"Possible. Right now, our only real lead to look into is Brian Thomas, but it's hard to get information on such a generic name."  
The teenager nodded.  
"I could ask Vega to send a plainclothes officer to stake out the place..... but that might take way too long." He gnawed his lower lip.  
"Uh, Ace?"  
The magician looked at the rearview mirror, "Yes?"  
"You know you have a rehearsal tonight?"  
He nearly slapped his forehead. Damn, he had nearly forgotten! With a wry smile he steered the Racer away from the prison and back to the City.  
"Thanks for reminding me. I think Ronchello would throw a fit if we didn't show."  
Cosmo grinned, a real grin for just a second, as Ace mentioned the assistant manager of the Ring Theater.  
The Racer sped through the streets.

* * *

The signaler was dead.  
Stone cold, marvelously dead.  
He smiled.  
The trap had gone off. The signal had died the moment of discharge. Cooper had gotten the package.  
His smile widened, caressing the small black box in his hand. It served no purpose now. None save to remind him that another step had been taken in his plan. His plan for vengeance. Redemption. His master would be pleased. Oh so very pleased.  
If it worked.  
He glared at the thought. Of course it would work! His machines always worked. It was his gift, his genius. The machines, the special, magical machines. It would work! And if not. Well.. not like he would survive the encounter with Cooper if he had failed. A fitting punishment then, for his lack of success. Totally fitting.  
Now what? It was the next point for him to concentrate on. What would Cooper do now? Would he cancel his show? Maybe, though he rarely used true magic in them. But would he be able to go on after a loss like that? Probably. Cooper let very little stop him. And that would work to his advantage. Would give him the chance to confirm what he knew had already happened in his heart of hearts.  
That the sphere had worked.  
Hummm... What would it be like? What would that do to a magician? To lose that most precious of contacts. Especially having the powers near you for almost the entirety of your life?  
He smiled again.  
Hopefully it was painful.  
Very, very painful.  
Pocketing the black box he pushed himself up. There were things to do, places to go.  
He chuckled.  
Traps to set.

* * *

Rehearsal might be just a test run, but it was to be taken seriously and everyone did. This was the last great run before the actual show and everything had to work smoothly. What didn't work was immediately checked. Lights were tested and moved into another position, props were arranged, and last minute changes applied. Right now the audience consisted of the janitorial staff who had some free time, as well as some of the backstage people who weren't needed. The setting was just like throughout an actual show, except for the missing audience of kids and adults.  
Cosmo was working backstage as usual, his demeanor slightly better than this morning, but he was a far cry from his old self. For the sake of the backstage workers though, he played his role. As always he had an eye on the lights, the props, the cues. He ordered the stage hands around, his position easily accepted by all the senior members who had known him for years now, he kept an eye on what was happening on stage, and he checked the program running the show in the background. All in all, Cosmo had enough to do to keep his mind off his personal problems for the next hours.  
As he waited for some of the hi-lite rigs to be moved into a better position, Ace heard something above the soft whirring of the automated rig. He looked up, frowning. A creaking. A groaning. Like metal that was being stretched beyond its abilities to hold. There was a tinkling, like glass, and then the groaning came again. Louder.  
Loud enough to be heard by the people around him as well.  
Someone screamed.  
Ace saw the hi-lite rig just above him sway dangerously, then there was a sharp snapping sound and the left side of the whole rig fell down. It careened over the stage, swinging on the remaining support cables like a pendulum, coming toward Ace. The magician jumped out of the way with lightning reflexes, hitting the stage with a hard thud that drove the air out of his lungs. He pressed himself to the hard floor, feeling the whispering sound of the rig swinging only inches past him.  
"Ace!" someone screamed and he recognized Cosmo's voice. "Ace, get out of there! It's gonna give!"  
The creaking was there again, louder, strained cables unable to hold the weight of the swinging rig. A cable snapped and the rig plunged a bit further toward him as it swung by once more. Ace rolled away, the cloak catching in a jagged piece of metal, tearing. He stumbled, running toward the edge of the stage. For a moment he considered a relocation spell, but that would have required at least a second of total calmness -- and he was past calm. Initiating a spell was no choice.  
And then the last cables gave way. The rig came down with a loud crash, glass and metal splinters flying everywhere. Ace felt something cut his neck and he jumped, landing on the hard floor. Behind him, lights exploded and metal tore into the stage. A cacophony of screams, booms and crashes washed over him, then there was only the noise of people demanding order, yelling for security and an ambulance, and the hysteric voices of some of the more agitated spectators.  
"Ace!"  
He blinked, his vision blurred and danced. Something bright came into view and it cleared up slightly.  
"Cosmo?"  
"Are you okay?" the teen demanded, helping him up, placing a steadying hand on his arm. His eyes darted worriedly over his older friend.  
"Yeah, I think so." Ace touched his neck and the white gloves came away stained with blood. "Mostly."  
Cosmo anxiously looked him over, more worry in his eyes. Ace turned and looked at the stage, trying to ignore the orderlies and security helping to calm everyone down, ushering them out of the theater. The stage as such was buried under the main rig that carried several tons of lights secured to heavy metal beams, usually used to add to the show. Glass splinters littered the area and debris lay everywhere. What props had still been on stage were flat as pancakes. He had wanted to mothball some of them by the end of this season, but well, Ace thought dryly, dark humor rising, that was one way of telling him to get new stuff.  
A cold chill passed through him. It could easily have been him. Very easily. Ace climbed back onto the stage where more security was already closing off the accident site. He felt blood trickle down his neck from the cut, but he didn't care. The rig lay in ruins and he stepped carefully around it, eyes scanning over the remains.  
"Mr. Cooper?" It was George, one of the security men he knew more personally. His niece was a great fan of Ace and he had brought her along on several occasions. Ace had made the little girl's day when he had showed her around and performed a few tricks for her. "Are you okay?" He eyed the blood stains.  
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you, George." Ace stared at the rig.  
"We went over it just last night! It was all in order," another voice wailed. It was one of the stage hands, a lanky guy named Zed. He was scurrying around the rig remains, shaking his head. "The rig was new!"  
Ace felt Cosmo close by, hovering, worried and trying not to crowd. On top of being suddenly alone in his mind, cut off from Ace and his own magic, he now had to deal with this accident. Not good. Not in his condition anyway.  
Ronchello, the assistant manager, had appeared, reassuring everyone that the police was on the way, that an ambulance had been called, that steps were taken. He fussed around Ace, but the magician just smiled, and then went off stage and into his dressing room, Cosmo on his heels. When the door of his personal dressing room had closed, Ace shed the cloak. Red stains were brightly visible on his shirt and there was a long gash on his neck, as well as several smaller cuts on his cheek. He wiped the blood away with a towel, wincing.

Cosmo felt shock settle deep inside him. No, this hadn't been the first stage accident. Yes, they had gone through worse. But he had absolutely no feeling of Ace inside him and because of that, he was extra jumpy. When the rig had come down, Cosmo had frozen inside, terror spreading through his veins, seeing Ace getting crushed by the rig.  
Then his mind had flown into action, going through what he would call instinct. He had tried to get to his magic, access the power that would let him help Ace. And he had come up empty. Nothing had been there. Nothing at all! Just the emptiness inside, the terrible, devastating cold of being alone.  
He had been unable to help. Totally useless.  
The moment was burned into his mind. Now he got out the first aid kit and opened a bottle of iodine. Ace had sat down on the couch, pressing a wad of paper against the larger cut on his neck, looking thoughtful.  
"Here, let me," Cosmo offered, worry overriding the impassive, cold feeling for a while.  
Ace hissed as he dabbed at the cut, cleaning away the blood. It didn't look too bad, but it was painful. Covering it with a band-aid, Cosmo then stepped back and closed the kit.  
"Thanks," Ace muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  
"You think it was an accident?" Cosmo asked.  
The magician looked up. "I hope so. But I want to know the moment a report is done. Somehow, I don't think Zed screwed up that badly."  
Cosmo nodded. "Really good roadie. One of the best."  
That out of Cosmo's mouth was more than a compliment. Cosmo always had a close eye on the stage hands and helpers, and he had kicked more than one butt because the guy had been too superfluous or lazy.  
"I know." Ace closed his eyes. "We have to wait."  
A knock on the door startled them both.  
"Yes?" Ace called.  
The door opened and the familiar face of an EC police officer appeared.  
"Hello, Sergeant Masterson," Ace greeted the man, kind of an old friend from prior encounters.  
"Mr. Cooper." He nodded at Cosmo as a greeting. "I'm the investigating officer for the light rig incident. Can I ask you a few questions?"  
"Sure. Come in."  
Cosmo kept in the back, as if trying to be invisible, and Masterson shot him a quick look, then concentrated on Ace.  
The question-answering session was quick, professional, and Masterson was done faster than Ace would have thought. The officer closed his notebook, smiling briefly.  
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Cooper. I'll let you know what we find out."  
Ace smiled back. Masterson had worked with Vega, and Ace, long enough to know that whatever came out of it, Ace was highly interested.  
"Thank you, sergeant."  
When the door had closed, Ace turned and looked at Cosmo. His young friend's eyes were drooping and despite his condition, the agitation and the fear he felt, he was drop-dead tired. No surprise after a night filled with nightmares and barely any deep sleep. The few hours in the morning hadn't made up for it.  
"Let's go home," Ace said softly.  
Cosmo head came up and for a moment there was fear in his eyes. Home, yes. Alone in his bedroom......? They had to deal with it when they got to the Express.

* * *

Yes!  
 It took all his self-control not to cry out in jubilation as he went about his business. But inside he was soaring.  
Perfect!  
The light had fallen on cue and Cooper had nearly been struck. It had been the closest of close calls for the magician. And he had not come out of the incident totally unscathed. That, more then anything, told him what he needed to know.  
The sphere had worked. Cooper was without his magic. He had no doubt now.  
He’d seen Cooper before dodge a falling prop or a pyrotechnic going off accidentally. Had watched in a way no one else had, never letting himself be distracted by the carnage besieging the stage, but eyes always on the man. The magician. And it was the only way to see. The small shift in his body as suddenly he was far enough away to be safe. Or the minute hesitation in a falling object as levitation gave him the split second he needed to be away.  
Neither had happened this time and he knew Cooper had ample opportunity. He’d rigged the light to fall in just such a way as to allow the man a moment to wield his magic and dodge all injury.  
And he hadn’t!  
Oh, he could almost dance. His master would be so proud of him. He knew it, even if he didn’t speak that pride aloud.  
No magic! Cooper was a cobra without the fangs. Ahhh.. for all his plans, for all his dreams to come true. It was a heady moment, one he dare not display as he moved down the aisle. No, he could not display his joy though he celebrated in his heart.  
 One step closer to justice.  
 One step more.

* * *

It was close to midnight when Ace parked the Magic Racer in the vehicle bay, locked it down and climbed up the stairs to the upper level. Cosmo followed, visibly tired, but stubbornly refusing to budge from Ace's side. Zina came to greet them, rubbing along Ace's legs and then giving Cosmo her complete attention. Ace smiled secretly as he watched Cosmo pet the black panther, Zina purring at extra strength. She accompanied him to his room and flopped down at the foot of his bed, making it clear where she wanted to spend the night. Ace nodded at her, knowing she understood.  
"I'm just around the corner," the magician told Cosmo. "You are not alone."  
Cosmo nodded, biting his lower lip. "I know. I see it..... but the feeling...." He sighed shakily. "You are not here," he placed a hand on his chest.  
Ace gave the slender shoulders a hug. "I am. I always was." He smiled.  
Cosmo couldn't really return the smile, but he tried.  
"Sleep," the older man advised.  
"Will try."  
Zina rumbled something, as if adding her opinion to it, and Ace gave her a smile. Then he left the bedroom, the door sliding shut behind him. For a moment he simply remained, listening to the silence, the only sound the barely audible hum of the air-conditioning system. Finally he walked back into the living room, not yet ready to go to bed. First he wanted to check his mail, sort through what he had found out today, and then see what might come out of it.  
Shedding his cloak and jacket, kicking off his shoes for comfort, Ace sat down and went to work. There was no mail from Vega, except a short note that Feretti was working on the sphere. Kate had not come back to him concerning blocked magic abilities, but that was no big surprise. She had a lot to work through and compare. It was way too early to expect a report from the accident in the police files. Ace sighed and scribbled some notes on what they had found out today. After a while he leaned back, rubbing tired eyes. He felt mentally exhausted, but his body was far from it. Adrenaline still surged and ebbed through him, part of it from the near miss, part from all the events together. He touched the bandaged cut and winced. It hurt.  
"Ace, you have a call from Dr. Morrigan coming in," Angel suddenly informed him.  
Kate? At this ungodly hour? Then again, why not? She was a night owl.  
"Hello, Kate," he greeted her as the vid screen lit up.  
She looked at him over a stack of papers, frowning slightly as her gaze wandered over the numerous cuts that hadn't been there a few hours ago.  
"Hello, Ace. What happened? Played catch with Zina and lost?"  
He chuckled. "No. Part of a light rig nearly fell on me during the show."  
She blinked. "I know why I didn't get into show biz," the younger woman then said, expression completely straight.  
He laughed briefly.  
"Accident?" Kate wanted to know.  
"They are still looking into it."  
"Ah. Why I called..... I dug up some things on your request, but don't set your hopes too high. Some is good, some is rather useless."  
"I'm listening."  
"Number one: blocking magic or making it disappear completely through magic. It is possible, but.... big *but*..... the spellcaster has to be a mage, not just someone dabbling in the arts. It's complicated, draws on your energy reserves like a magnet, and you either have to be close to the victim or touch him. What I have here from Angel's first analysis, this is a normal, mechanical device, but with magical residue. The problem I see is encapsulating the magic as it has been in your case. No one has ever found a way to make a spell time-delayed, inside a non-magical object. No one!”  
Ace nodded. He knew magical devices existed, were spread far and wide, but they needed a kind of focus to pour the magic in, and that was usually some kind of stone. Not just any stone either. It had to have certain qualities and those stones were really hard to find. There had been nothing like it inside the sphere.  
"Number two," Kate went on. "Mechanical devices blocking or destroying magic without a magic spell involved. Completely unheard of. I went through the most known and best tomes, did cross-references on the database a friend of mine keeps, but came up empty. Of course, there might be something obscure mentioned somewhere I have no access to, but generally speaking: impossible."  
"But this device did what you think is impossible."  
"I know. Then again, maybe not. We definitely know the sphere emitted a stream of energy in some time-delayed trigger fashion. Possibly two according to what Angel found. That still bugs me. Either way, it first detected and then reacted to the presence of an energy field, a magician's energy field, then shocked him. That leads me to the assumption that the damage was created by a shockwave racing through the body, possibly severely disturbing the brain." Kate played with a pen. "Magic is still nothing but myth to most, but the people I know have gone far and wide to actually look into it and find out where it comes from and why only certain people can access it. It has to do with hormonal changes in early childhood, a receptiveness of the brain in areas lying dormant in more than 99.5 % of the human population, and the ability to adjust your body to the new energy field around you. If this field and the receptors can be messed up, you might not feel the magic anymore."  
Ace thought about it, let it roll around in his head. "So someone who knows this created the device," he finally said.  
Kate nodded. "Most likely. And," she smiled slightly, "it also tells me something else. Say, Ace, is Cosmo catatonic in any way?"  
"No," he answered slowly. "Just very messed up, very disturbed, feeling alone."  
"Which I think proves my theory. Think about it: the link connects both of you empathically. He can feel you through this bond and knows you are alive. When severed, Cosmo goes catatonic, drawing in on himself, for all purposes, almost dying himself."  
Ace was uncomfortably reminded of a prior incident, nodding slowly.  
"Now he doesn't. Tell you anything?" Kate prodded.  
"The link still exists?" Ace hazarded, realization dawning.  
"In a way, yes. Cosmo can't feel it, can't access it, but his body knows it's still there. And somehow, his mind does as well. Subconsciously. His consciousness is unable to grasp it. I would put it along the lines an anesthetic. Your body knows the effected part is still attached, the nerves are still there working, sending signals that your brain is receiving. It’s just that your conscious perception of those signals has been blocked. Chemically. Or, in Cosmo’s case, by the globe's discharge.”  
Ace's mind worked in leaps. "So... he can't access it, but the magic and the ability are still there?"  
"I don't know for certain. Do you have any brain scans from prior hospital stays?" Kate wanted to know.  
Ace grimaced. "Too many to like it, Kate." His and Cosmo's medical history were in detailed files inside the main computer banks, all incidents, from small cuts to the really serious injuries. And he had the brain scans from two incidents, one where Ace had briefly 'died' and Cosmo had been catatonic.  
She smiled humorlessly. "Let Angel run a comparison. Let her check for similarities and for differences. If I'm correct, we might have a chance -- if the messed-up brain energy field can rearrange itself."  
He exhaled softly. Okay. A ray of hope. Not much, not very strong, but there.  
"Thanks," he said, feeling tired again. "This is the best news yet."  
Kate gave him a close look. "So, what's up on your end of the research front?" she wanted to know.  
Ace told her. He relayed where they had been today, that there had been nothing really helpful surfacing, and how he was hoping that the police investigation of the ball would give them more information. Kate listened intently, never interrupting, and Ace was reminded of how much she was like Anna in that regard. His teacher had been able to listen to him calmly and serenely when he had spilled his personal problems and troubles, and she had always been ready to lend an ear even if he didn't ask for advice.  
"You think Calen or Hagen have accomplices who sent the device?" she now asked.  
"That's what I don't know. Both are not in the right frame of mind to come up with such a complicated plan. Calen is mentally dead. His body lives, but he hasn't spoken or done anything out of his own motivation since...." He stopped.  
"I understand," Kate said softly. "And Hagen?"  
"He's insane. Talks to the ghost of his grandfather and has a lucid moment or two. His psychiatrist didn't mention any revenge rants. The man is totally self-absorbed in his own world."  
She chewed on her lower lip. "And Calen's visitor?"  
"Maybe the only friend he ever had." Ace grimaced. "If he truly had one."  
"Say, Calen was a techno mage. He did a lot of techno-based magic...."  
Kate raised her eyebrows.  
"I thought of that as well, but I don't believe he had an apprentice of any kind. Calen was too self-absorbed."  
"Probably. I'll let you know in case I dig something up that might help."  
"Thanks, Kate. For everything."  
She gave him a smile. "Think nothing of it. And get some sleep. You look horrible."  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
The screen went dark and Ace was alone with his thoughts. His worries and hopes. One hope. One desperate hope.

* * *

Cosmo had woken early. He had had little real sleep, but the nightmares had not torn at him like last night. Maybe it had been Zina, curled up close to him, giving him the comfort he craved. Maybe it was his body adapting.  
No!  
He didn't want to adapt!  
He angrily stared at his reflection in the mirror, removing the last beard stubble with a razor.  
"Don't want to adapt," he told his mirror image. "Never!"  
There was no answer. He hadn't expected one. Dressing, he walked by the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of orange juice, then listlessly went into the main room of the Express, the living area/library. Ace must have worked late, judging from the cloak and jacket on the couch. He peeked at the papers strewn on the table and read the notes. A frown creased his features, hope warring with the darker emotions inside him that warned that hope was dangerous. Kate thought that maybe this was not permanent? Well, she hoped.  
Hope.  
One word -- so much in the balance.  
Cosmo sank on the couch, sipping on the juice, thinking. It sounded good, but so did every other theory. He sighed.  
"Angel?" he called.  
"Yes, Cosmo?" the AI answered and materialized her holographic form.  
"Do you have anything on the comparison run of the brain patterns?"  
"I am still compiling information, but I have a preliminary report if you want to read it."  
"Sure."  
The vid screen lit up with the information and Cosmo intently read over every single word. Most of it was medical jargon, techno-babble for doctors, but he got the gist. Yes, there were similarities between the time Cosmo had been at the hospital after the link had been severed. And no, it was not the same as today. But no, it also wasn't his normal brain pattern.  
Cosmo shivered.  
Not the same as the separation last time. Oh god.... thank you! He clenched his hands around the bottle. He remembered the cold from that experience only too clearly. It had shown both him and Ace just how closely they were connected, that Ace's fate was in direct connection to Cosmo's.  
So empty  
So lonely.  
Catatonic.  
He wasn't catatonic now. Something had blocked his link, the connection to Ace, and the magic. Blocked it good, but hadn’t severed it.  
Cosmo inhaled deeply, trying to concentrate on the report. There was a lot he didn't understand, but he didn't ask for Angel to translate. What he had read was enough.  
Hope. There was hope. Somehow the block had to be removed!  
Emptying the bottle, Cosmo walked aimlessly through the Express, feeling nervous energy course through him. They had no lead who the perp was, they had nowhere to go. All they knew was that it had been aimed against Ace, that it had been someone with the knowledge of his magic and the technological know-how. And all their suspects were either in prison or mental homes. Really not much to go on.  
Ending up in the lab, he suddenly saw something on the table that made him nearly choke. But only briefly. He pulled himself together, stepping into the lab, facing the terror.  
A box.  
The box.  
The box the ball had been in.  
Cosmo grit his teeth, angrily suppressing the fear. He wouldn't give in to it! Ace didn't need him as a quivering mess! He needed a partner he could rely on.  
Looking the box over, the teenager tried to find any clue, anything at all, to help them with their search. Ace had only dropped off the device as such in the police labs, not the packaging. He turned the box over in his hands, thinking furiously. It was a normal box. It was used everywhere, could be bought everywhere, nothing special at all. It had been sent by normal mail, as the stamp told him, and the sticker from the post office had been printed.  
Cosmo looked at the sticker.  
It had a tracing number. As all packages, the tracing number told the office where it had come from and where it went, how much it weighed and who had to pay for it. Maybe.... maybe he could find out where the package had been sent from!  
With new energy, he almost ran into the main computer room, activating the control console with a flick, then setting to work. It was easy to get into the post office mainframe. Even easier to get to the tracing program. He entered the fifteen-digit tracer number with its additional six letters, then waited.  
As the computer worked, Cosmo looked at the package again, running his fingers over the white sticker. He frowned as his finger tips caught on the left upper edge. The sticker hadn't been glued on correctly, part of it not very adhesive to the surface, and he played around with it, experimentally tugging at the paper. It came off after a few tugs and Cosmo felt his blood run cold.  
"Shit!" he whispered.  
Beneath the sticker from the mail office was another label. The sender was a prop supplier, the receiver the Ring Theater.

* * *

“I’ll be damned...” Ace hissed turning the box to read the half damaged label better.  
Cosmo watched him and didn’t miss the slight cast that came over the magician’s face, felt his heart clench when no echo of the surprise reached his mind. He shuddered and tightened his grip on himself. He would not break down, he would not break down... It had become his own, silent mantra.  
“Ace, the box was used to send stuff to the Ring and whoever sent you the sphere, he used a box that the Ring threw away! He was there! In the theater and he stole the box!"  
Cosmo paced in agitation, nervous energy radiating off him like another aura. "He was there. Dude, he was there!"  
"I understand, Cosmo, but that doesn't get us any closer to the identity of the man." Ace leaned calmly against the large granite globe, watching his friend pace.  
"No, but it tells us that the guy got into areas he shouldn't have been able to!" Cosmo hissed angrily. "He might even have rigged the accident!"  
"We don't know that. The police report is not yet finished. Sergeant Masterson's investigations haven't finished yet."  
"Damn the investigations!" Cosmo exploded. "The guy can get everywhere in the Ring!"  
Ace rubbed his neck, wincing as he caught the cut areas. "You said you ran a check on the mail?" he tried to steer the conversation to another topic.  
Cosmo glared at him, clearly aware of it, but he went with the change. "Yeah," he muttered. "Angel, display trace results."  
Angel lit up the screen and Ace read over the information. The package with the number matching theirs had been sent on its way at a small postoffice shop. The address was somewhere in the outskirts of Electro City in a normal enough neighborhood. Medium income houses, two-kid families....nothing special. Damn!  
“You have to cancel the show tonight.”  
Ace looked up, startled from his thoughts. No, that was the last thing he could do. He shook his head slowly.  
“No, Cosmo. I won’t cancel the show,” he said simply.  
Cosmo flinched, good hand clenching into a fist. “Like hell you won’t!” the teen snarled. “This perp has access we can’t track. He’s after you, Ace, and the best place to get you is at the show!” Cosmo glared out-right at him, trembling with barely suppressed emotions.  
“That is exactly why I won’t cancel,” Ace told Cosmo calmly, watching the young man compassionately.  
His partner’s fear and dread were too clearly apparent in his face. Cosmo was trying to hold himself together. Trying not to lose what little self control he had, but it was nowhere near easy  
“If our attacker is going to make his move, it’s a good chance it’ll be there, Cosmo. We have to bring him out into the open.”  
“Not at the risk of your life!” Cosmo countered hotly. “Damn it, Ace, now’s not the time to play hero!”  
“It might be the only way to catch him, Cosmo. I will not waste the opportunity!”  
“But you’ll risk wasting you life?”  
“If I can help you, yes.”  
Cosmo froze, eyes wide, a definite shudder tearing through his body. “No.... no...” He backed away.  
Ace took a step forward, worry gripping him at the young man’s sudden change. The anger had turn to dread in the blink of an eye.  
“Cosmo?” he called, reaching out and catching one arm.  
Cosmo flinched, stared at him and grabbed his arm back. “Please, Ace, please cancel the show,” he pleaded softly, the desperation in his eyes reaching his voice. “I’ve already lost you here...” The bandaged hand touched Cosmo’s chest. “I can’t lose you here.” Then the hand reached out and touched him.  
Ace felt his heart clench at the raw fear in Cosmo’s wide eyes. He had lost him mentally, the teen would not be able to survive losing him physically. Ace knew that through the cruelty of prior experience.  
Quietly he rested his hands on both shoulders, held the young man firmly.  
“You won’t lose me, Cosmo. I swear! But we must not cancel the show. Cosmo..”  
He tried to catch Cosmo’s gaze, but the teen dodged him. He urged him to look up at him with a small shake of the trembling shoulders. Fear, soul deep fear was in those eyes as they skittishly rose. He dug up a reassuring smile.  
“Cosmo... Our attacker will make his move sometime. Maybe at the show or maybe anywhere else. He will eventually try to kill me, if that is truly his intention, which I believe it is. At the theater though we have the high ground. He’ll be on our playing field and it gives us the best chance to find him, or find out more about him,” Ace argued gently.  
Cosmo licked his lips the shuddering worsening and dropped his head.  
“Ace...” He shook his head. “No.. you have to stay safe.”  
“And let you suffer?”  
The face lifted, eyes haunted, but set. “Yes. If that’s what it takes.”  
Ace sighed and smiled sadly in the face of Cosmo self-sacrifice.  
“The price of my safety would be too high then, Cosmo. Please. Trust me on this one. We have to draw out our attacker. Your attacker. ”  
With a small squeeze he sought Cosmo’s blessing as the young man stared again at the floor.  
“Please, Cosmo.”  
“Doesn’t matter what I think, does it?” he spat bitterly, refusing to meet his eyes.  
Ace took a deep breath. “You know it does, Cosmo. You’re opinion always matters to me, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.”  
Cosmo was silent, breathing a touch ragged, then his shoulders slumped. “There’s got to be another way...”  
“If one pops up, I’ll take it. Until then...” Ace tightened his hold. “Will you back me up?”  
That jerked Cosmo, the teen's eyes rocketing up to him, hurt shining in the gray depth’s. Ace felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn’t meant it to seem like he doubted his partner.  
“Of course I will! You know that I ....”  
Ace stopped the desperate words with a raised hand. “I know, Cosmo, I know. I’m sorry, that didn’t come out quite right.” He smiled apologetically. “Will you give me your blessing to try and draw out our attacker? That’s what I’m asking.”  
Cosmo sighed and nodded.  
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t like it, but I’ll back you up.” Then an attempt at a smile “Can’t let you get your butt knocked off in front of the cameras. We’d never live down the bad press.”  
Ace laughed and drew Cosmo into a quick, strong hug.  
“Don’t worry, Cosmo. I will be careful. I promise.”  
Cosmo’s arms locked around him, the teen almost burrowing into his embrace.  
“I know, Ace, I know... Just, I..”  
Ace tightened his hold as the emotions rocked through his young friend.  
“We will find out who did this Cosmo. We will find the cure,” Ace promised. The promise he made to himself every time he saw the pale shadow of a man Cosmo had become. Cosmo nodded shakily, hesitantly breaking away from him. With a heavy gulp he looked at him, the barest glimmering of hope shinning in his eyes, behind the shadow of apprehension, dread and emptiness that had taken over the once lively gray eyes.  
“Hope so, dude... hope so..”

* * *

The evening show went off as planned. The Ring Theater was sold out to the last place and people were still trying to get tickets. Ace Cooper's magic shows were the attraction in Electro City and people even had annual cards, able to come and get treats at each show for lower prices. Tourists streamed into the area, chatting with the locals. Kids swarmed all over the rows, calling, yelling, laughing, Exasperated parents picked up discarded programs, carried popcorn and generally tried to keep an eye on their offspring. Programs were sold, as well as posters, mugs, T-shirts and assorted other merchandise.  
The evening show started at 8 p.m. as planned. There had been no afternoon show today, it being Friday. Ace went through the acts with precision and professional ease, which he didn't show the crowd though. Each trick had been rehearsed a thousand times, but it was dangerous nevertheless. Zina played her part, taking the applause, basking in the calls of encores and awe, and Ace did his best to keep his mind on the job and not on his suffering young friend. There was no room for that throughout the two hours of high performance. Right now he was Ace Cooper, the magician. He could be the private person later on.  
The accident report from Sergeant Masterson had come in just before the show had started, and it had said clearly that the support cable on the left side of the rig had snapped because of age and over-use. Zed had protested vehemently. He had changed all old cables just the last week. He had checked on the rig in question a day before. Ace believed him. Zed was a reliable worker. But if Zed had secured the cables and had exchanged the old ones for the newer ones, who had changed the hi-lite rig cable back?  
The second act, also the last one for tonight, contained elements of his prior road show. Ace used fire and ice to amaze the people, freezing and then liquefying Zina, creating a burning phoenix that soared over the rows. They cried in fear and surprise, applause thunderous in the dome structure. He sent the bird up into the rigs, where it dissipated into a myriad of sparks, showering over the rows without harming anyone. More applause shook the theater.  
Ace bowed to everyone, as did Zina, and more calls for encore could be heard. He smiled and used the trap door lift to disappear beneath the stage. The massive underground structure that not only housed the props and controls, but also all the dressing rooms, greeted him.  
"Great show, man!" Cosmo called, giving him a thumbs up. There was a genuine and very relieved smile on his face. Nothing had happened. "I'll shut down the program. Be right with you."  
"Take your time," Ace said.  
Cosmo not attaching himself to him like a leech was a small step forward. Ace had noticed that whenever Cosmo was intensely occupied with something other than the link, he managed to ignore his situation. But this never lasted long.  
Ace continued to the dressing room, passing by the numerous doors with similar rooms, some smaller, some unused, all for the stars and starlets of the Ring Theater. His own room was rather spacious and it was only his. After such a long time of running his spectacular shows in Electro City, he could call part of this place his home. As he closed the door after himself, contemplating that this show had gone off as smoothly as he had hoped, that no one had dropped anything on him, Ace caught sight of something smeared on the large mirror in front of the dressing table.  
'Revenge'.  
He stared at the black writing on the reflective surface, standing totally still. His own mirror image stared back, obscured partly by the writing.  
Someone had been here.  
In his dressing room.  
He took a step toward the mirror.  
And something exploded.  
Ace shielded himself instinctively with his cape as heat washed over him, driving him deeper into the room, away from the door where the fire was starting to lick along the walls. The door that was his only escape.  
Fire bomb! Set off by his entrance! And it spread damn fast!  
Coughing, Ace tried to go for the door, but the searing heat drove him away again. His eyes stung and his lungs ached as he tried to find a way out of the smoke-filled room.  
Relocate!  
The rational part of his mind screamed at him to use his magic and get out of here.  
Something small and rather weak argued that this trap had been set for him by the man who believed he couldn't use magic any more. If he escaped through magic....  
He knew he was beginning to feel the effects of the smoke and heat. He was disoriented and the churning powers inside him, wanting to break free, called by his emotional distress, were no great help. The fire had spread through the dressing room, eating away the wallpaper, licking at whatever burned.  
Connecting door.  
Ace's blurring mind yelled at him that there was a connecting door to another room, one Cosmo sometimes used to throw his gear in. It was hidden, not very easy to detect, because one wing of the large mirror of the dressing table swung over it.  
It was left of him, he thought. He stumbled over into the general direction, half blinded by the thick smoke.  
As he reached the little side door, which was unlocked, the front door suddenly exploded inward knocking Ace to the floor. Ace lay stunned briefly before feeling the burning debris which had slammed across his lower leg. He used much of his strength to shake his leg free, feeling rather than seeing burns he had received. He struggled for breath, coughing violently as he managed to get to his feet. He was vaguely aware of someone shouting to hold on as his coughing continued.  
Cosmo?  
No magic. Don't use magic. If he watches.... he knows there is no way out. Except the connecting door.  
The thoughts droned on, almost drowned by his survival instincts. Almost collapsing in the other room, he was dimly aware of the fire spreading, then there was a loud hiss and foam spread out quickly, battling the snapping, crackling flames.  
"Ace!"  
He looked up, right into the soot-streaked face of his younger friend. "'m okay," he rasped.  
Well, mostly.  
Firefighters popped up in his limited field of perception. More foam and water was spread over the now ruined room as they tackled the flames. The Theater paramedic who was always on duty throughout show walked up to him. He knelt down, running a professional eye over the soot-covered magician.  
"I'm fine," Ace coughed. "Just inhaled a bit of smoke."  
"How about you let me decide that?" the paramedic said. His name was Robin Witlet and he had treated Ace's stage accident injuries numerous times in the past.  
Ace sighed silently as the man went after his duty. His gaze flickered over to the now extinguished fire. The dressing room was a total loss. Nothing irreplaceable had been inside. Cosmo hovered at his side, fidgeting, hands clenching and unclenching, until Ace touched one arm. The teenager flinched and shakily looked at Ace.  
"I'm fine," Ace said softly.  
"Mostly," Robin added, smiling. "You have a few light burns. Nothing a burn salve can't take care of. The smoke inhalation might trouble you for a while, but it should pass. I'd really love to get you to a hospital...."  
Ace started to protest and Robin lifted his hand.  
"... but I know it's a lost cause. So take it easy, okay?"  
"Deal." Ace smiled.  
The paramedic packed up his things.  
They were on their way back half an hour later. This time, Cosmo was driving.

* * *

Unfair.  
It was totally unfair!  
How..? How!? Damn!  
He gnashed his teeth. Impossible. How had Cooper survived? The bomb was perfect, the placing was perfect. Hell, he'd even written the note on the mirror three times to make sure it was perfect. And still Cooper survived unscathed. Not by magic, but by shear luck and folly that his assistant had been there to haul him out.  
Damn! He had failed his dear master once again.  
Again.  
He was not pleased. Not at all. Time was quickly running out. Spinning on his heel he hurried toward the exit. This he had not expected. He'd planned for the first trial run and the final trap, but not this...  
Bad, a bad oversight on his part. 'Take nothing for granted' his master said always. And he had. Had taken for granted that the fire bomb would rid the world of Ace Cooper and justice would be exacted for his master. It hadn't.  
Fast, had to move fast, time was not on his side. But how and where to get Cooper? Not at his home. To in the open and very secure. Here again, at the theater?  
Humm... that would depend on Cooper, whether he canceled the later shows or not. If not, it might be with the false belief he wouldn't be attacked a third time.  
What to do? What to do?  
With a heavy sigh he left the ring theater, hands clenched into fists.  
"Forgive me, master, for my failure," he whispered softly to himself.  
"Forgive me."

* * *

Cosmo watched as Ace sat on the couch, trying to read his friend. It wasn't really difficult, even if he had lately relied on the empathic component a lot. But when it came to Ace, Cosmo knew him best. He had seen him through all kinds of emotional ups and downs. Ace liked to hide behind masks when something became too personal, but his eyes were windows to his soul, the most expressive parts, and Cosmo knew where to look.  
Right now, what he saw didn't help him with his own troubles. His own fear. His own desperation. After the last accident, the fire, Cosmo was feeling his strength shred, felt his sanity go to pieces, and there was no superglue to help him. Ace, the stronger of them at the moment, was suffering from his light injuries and the stress of the last two days as well. He looked cruelly tired, his face pale and the cuts from the rehearsal accident were a stark red against the skin. Cosmo knew he was leeching on Ace, drawing on his strength. The magician was only too willing to share, to help, but it ate at him. He couldn't keep them both above water any longer. He was going down.  
Cosmo drew a shaky sigh. He was turning into a burden. He didn't want to be a burden!  
Ace wearily rubbed his hand over his face. He had showered and changed his clothes, now sitting in 'civvies' on the couch, not his usual formal wear. His injuries weren't really that bad, but in Cosmo's current condition, even a papercut was spiraling toward a massive trauma wound. The burns were nothing but reddened skin, the cuts not even worth mentioning, but each new wound took its toll. Each new wound told Cosmo that yes, there was still a madman at large, out to kill Ace.  
The fire had scared him. Terrified him. The show had gone so smoothly, Cosmo had allowed himself to relax, and then.....  
He swallowed.  
It had been coincidence. Luck. Fate. Whatever. One of the helpers had taken over the computer because he needed to check on some of his own programs, and Cosmo had gone to see if Ace was ready to leave. That was when he had smelled the smoke and seconds later the fire alarm had gone off.  
Fire.  
He had started to run then, unminding of the smoke, the danger, the yelling firefighters already rushing in. The Ring Theater had a bunch of really well trained fire fighters for each show, and they were fast. He remembered calling Ace's name, cursing the missing magic, fear seeping into his veins, freezing him. He had fought free of the terror, but it had waited patiently until the adrenaline shock had subsided. Now it crept back and he had no defenses left.  
He had almost lost Ace. Again. Ace had promised to be careful and on stage there had been no incidents. But later.... Why hadn't he thought of that?! Why had they both thought the guy would attack on stage?!  
Cosmo felt his insides clench painfully.  
So close. So close!  
"Cosmo?"  
The voice startled him and he looked up, Ace's clear gray eyes studying him.  
"Are you okay?"  
Was he okay? No. He never would be. Never. The link was blocked..... He shivered.  
"I'm fine. No problem," he answered.

Cosmo's voice was utterly quiet and Ace looked sharply at his younger friend. True quiet was not a normal state for Cosmo. Even when he was in one of his more relaxed states, he never seemed to stand still. Stillness was not his thing. There always seemed to be an aspect of him that was either animated or tense, depending on the situation. So when Cosmo was truly quiet, it was cause for concern on Ace's side. Cosmo was fighting for his last shred of strength at the moment, coming closer and closer to the end of his emotional rope, and there was nothing that Ace could do to help. This situation was threatening to break him into pieces.  
He was not fine. Far from it.  
"Cosmo, please....."  
Cosmo shook his head, rubbing over the bandaged hand. "Leave it, okay? I'm fine." He gave a little snort. "We should have seen that coming as well!"  
Ace briefly closed his eyes. Yes, maybe. But he had thought the guy would like to hit him in public, make it more spectacular. He had never really considered the possibility of a private attack outside the Theater or off stage.  
"And we still don't know who he is!" Cosmo flared briefly, then sank back again.  
"No, but we are getting closer."  
"You are getting closer to being seriously injured or... or...." The teenager stumbled.  
Killed, Ace added silently for himself. "I know." By god, he did. "I'm not planning on letting him get to me again, Cosmo. If I have to blow the cover and use magic to do it, so be it. I won't play target indefinitely."  
Cosmo suspiciously wiped over his face, hunching a bit. "Yeah. Good."  
"We should work on the facts we have gathered so far," Ace continued. "We have the box that came from the Ring Theater. No one could have taken it out of the garbage truck, only out of storage. For that this person needs access and the knowledge where the boxes are kept."  
"Janitorial and cleaning stuff," Cosmo supplied, brows drawing down.  
Get him to think, distract him from the problem, Ace thought.  
"We know where the package was sent off from, though the person in question might just have driven into another part of town to throw possible investigators off his track."  
Cosmo nodded. "If he's smart, yeah."  
"The fire bomb was placed in my dressing room by someone who had access to these levels as well."  
"Like the storage area."  
"Exactly."  
"Janitors and cleaning personnel." Cosmo's eyes lit up  
Ace smiled at the rising spirits. "So I think we should check them out."  
"Will be quite a long list, dude, but maybe we can narrow it down. Former criminal activity and such."  
The magician nodded. "That was my idea."  
Cosmo jumped up. "I'm on it!"  
"It's close to midnight, Cosmo. Maybe we should sleep over this first."  
"Ace, you have a visitor. Lieutenant Vega is here," Angel interrupted and Ace raised both brows.  
In a way he had expected this visit, though not in the middle of the night. Then again, Vega had the same odd hours as Ace worked sometimes, and with the fire and all, he had surely not felt like waiting with his visit.  
Vega walked into the living room, radiating barely contained anger, clutching a folder in one hand. His brown eyes seemed to be ablaze.  
"Are you out of your mind?"  
The angry question hung in the room. He had been asked the same question from the same man a hundred times in his life, Ace thought with dry amusement. And there was always the same answer: "No, Vega, I'm not. I'm just reasonable."  
"Reasonable?" Vega sputtered, staring at him as if the magician was sprouting horns. "First someone drops a rig on you, then your dressing room goes up in flames, and now you refuse to cooperate! That's not reasonable, that's pig-headed!"  
"I don't refuse to cooperate. I just don't want to scare the guy away. We are getting closer," Ace explained.  
The police had asked his statement and he had said he didn't know what might have caused the fire and he had omitted the scribbled word on his now destroyed mirror. He just didn't want to involve the police, except Vega.  
"You are getting closer to being killed, my friend!" Vega snapped, worry most prominent on his features. "He sent you some kind of nifty device that should have blocked your magic and hit the kid instead. Now he attempts to end your life! And you don't want to leave it to the police! You can't go on as if nothing happened!" The cop sighed deeply, trying hard to calm down. "Ace, I have a first word on the fire bomb. It was really professional, unlike anything an amateur can cook up, and it had some extras that made the fire guys on the scene scratch their heads. It's now on the way to the lab to be examined. The guy was a professional!"  
"Like the rigged sphere?"  
"Like that. Feretti is running in circles over that thing. It's state of the art, it has components unlike any other 'bomb' and he found several things he can't explain."  
Vega pulled out a folder and threw it on the table. That had been the reason for his visit to the Ring Theater: the report on the sphere. That he would come to the scene of a crime, well, he had not expected that. Now Ace was being stubborn as hell -- again! The paramedic had found nothing but smoke inhalation and a few light burns. He would have loved to send Ace off to the hospital, but the magician had refused, much to the chagrin of Cosmo and Vega. Now he sat comfortably on his couch, smiling at Vega with barely hidden amusement. The lieutenant had the wish to strangle him.  
With a sigh he shook his head. "Ace, you are making my life hard. The police can help!"  
"Help drive the guy away again."  
"He tried to end your life twice now!"  
Ace shook his head. "Once. I think the light rig was just a kind of trial run. Think about it, Derek: he believes I'm powerless. He believes I have lost my magic abilities."  
"And that makes him dangerous!" Vega insisted.  
"It makes him careless."  
Vega rubbed his forehead. "You are responsible for every white hair on my head and soon for the loss of them all!"  
Ace laughed softly. "You are exaggerating."  
Vega glared at him. "Watch me shed."  
Cosmo, who had hung back throughout the argument, grinned slightly, and was promptly the next victim of Vega's glare.  
"Okay, so you have a plan?"  
"Kind of. I want to run all the data we have through Angel. Whoever managed to get into my dressing room, he had to be from the Ring Theater. No one else can get into the basement and into the dressing rooms all that easily."  
"Janitorial staff," Cosmo suddenly pitched in.  
Vega frowned, looking from one to the other. "Kindly clue me in?"  
"Cosmo inquired about where the package came from and we found the post office it was sent off from. The box as such is from the Ring Theater," as explained. "The sticker from the post office was stuck onto the original addressee, which was the Ring Theater."  
"Ace, the Theater gets all kinds of packages every day. The old boxes pile up everywhere."  
"Not really, no."  
Ace proceeded to tell him how they had discovered that the boxes were folded and piled by the janitorial staff to be disposed off later by a company that crunched them into neat little packages for recycling.  
"Since the garbage men destroy the boxes while feeding them into the trucks, the box had to be taken out of the storage room. Only the janitors, as well as the manager and the assistant manager have the keys."  
Vega frowned deeply. "And the janitors have access to all dressing rooms."  
"Exactly."  
"So you think it was one of them?"  
"Possible. Angel is cross-checking addresses, personal history and such."  
Vega sighed. "You still have no idea who might be behind this?"  
Ace shook his head. "None. Apparently someone seeking revenge, from the writing on the mirror. Someone who knows about magic, has a lot of technical tricks up his sleeve, and someone who hates me a lot."  
"The last one kinda narrows it down," Vega muttered sarcastically.  
The magician smiled wryly. "Yes and no. Not many know about the magic part. That helps. Still, all who do or might are in prison or worse."  
The cop rubbed a hand over his face. "Why is it never easy when you are concerned?" he asked rhetorically and rose. "Ace, be careful. Let me know what you find out. No stunts. Okay?"  
Ace nodded. "No stunts. Promise."  
Vega gave him a critical look, then transferred his look at Cosmo, jerking a thumb at Ace. "Watch him, kid. Closely."  
Cosmo smiled. "Count on it."  
Satisfied, Vega left. Ace just groaned and rolled his eyes. He looked at Cosmo, who had retreated again. Not physically. Mentally. His eyes held a shadowed expression and he sat almost hunched, shoulders drawn closer. He absently rubbed over his bandaged hand. They had to change the bandage, Ace reminded himself briefly, then he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.  
"Cosmo?"  
Cosmo's eyes flickered up, then down again. "'m fine," he mumbled.  
Fine. Right. Not. Ace sighed to himself, then a thought struck him. He blinked as his mind presented him with something rather outrageous. Something possibly foolish, but.... but it would help. At least for a while.  
"Cosmo?" he tried again.  
No reaction. Cosmo had his eyes almost closed, arms wrapped around his body as if cold.  
"Cosmo, I want to try and touch your mind."  
Cosmo's eyes flew open and he launched from the couch, backpedaling unsteadily.  
"No, Ace! That's too dangerous," he gasped, clutching at his arms, shivering.  
Ace rose and approached, but Cosmo still backed up so he stopped. "Cosmo. You are going through serious withdrawal. I want to help," Ace offered gently.  
Cosmo shook his head, red hair flying. "No, Ace. It's too dangerous. Last time you tried you were knocked out cold," Cosmo hissed, not looking at him.  
Ace licked his lips as he watched the young man fidget across from him. "Cosmo, you've lost your empathic feed to me," he tried.  
Cosmo snorted softly. "Dream come true, eh, man?" he chuckled depreciatively.  
Ace sighed. "Cosmo, I know I've given you a hard time in the past about your link, but I do find it a comfort to know it is there. That someone is always watching over me, even if I do complain about it from time to time."  
Ace approached again and this time Cosmo didn't retreat, watching his feet as Ace put his hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently.  
"I want to help, any way I can. If reaching out to touch your mind will help, then I will do it," he stressed desperately.  
Cosmo trembled and rubbed at his arms. "Ace.." he muttered. "Ace... I..."  
Ace caught his chin and lifted it looking deep into the glazed, feverish gray eyes of his partner. "We will find the cause, but until then I have to do my best to take care of you, Cosmo. We're partners. Friends. I know you wouldn't hesitate to do the same for me. Please?"  
The trembling worsened and Ace waited, face neutral. Cosmo was caught between his desire to keep Ace safe and his need to feel the emotional resonance of his partner in his mind again.  
"Ace.." He shook his head miserably.  
Ace sighed and caught one elbow, guiding his distraught apprentice to the couch where he sat him down. He sat beside him, hand still on his arm.  
"Let me help, Cosmo," he urged.  
Cosmo looked at him briefly, eyes darting away in shame. "Wrong, Ace. I feel like a junky, man. It's wrong!" he snarled. "It's not right, man. I shouldn't... I shouldn't need your thoughts like this, Ace... No. I.."  
"Cosmo," Ace interrupted firmly. "A junky chooses to be one when he picks up the needle. You were never given that choice. The magic brought this gift out. Made you aware of more than the normal human mind. It is not sick or deprived, it simply is. It is a part of you, of who you are."  
"No, Ace... I.. Damn," Cosmo muttered. Ace reached around him, offering a hug. For a moment Cosmo resisted, then gave in, sinking at his side.  
"It's not wrong, Cosmo. It simply is. That's why it's not getting better. Even a junky can recover, you can't. Your empathy is simply too vital to your existence. Why do you think you accepted it so easily? I can not conceive how you can go through life not just dealing with your own emotions, but being burdened by mine as well."  
"Not a burden, bro," Cosmo whispered.  
Ace nodded. "Just my point. To you it isn't a burden. It just *is*. Nothing more. As natural as breathing comes to me, empathy comes to you. And just as I will die without air, you will keep suffering without the link." Ace tightened his hold. "Please. I want to help you, Cosmo. You need the help and I'm offering, no strings attached."  
A fist clenched desperately as Cosmo shivered in his arms. He held on quietly, patiently. Cosmo shuddered and took in a deep breath.  
"I... It's hurt you before... If it hurts you, Ace.."  
He looked up and Ace tried not to be startled by the raw need in his partner's face. Worse, much worse then Ace had expected. Cosmo had been hiding his suffering well. To damn well.  
"You're mental defenses are tied into your magic, Cosmo. Without one, the other does not exist. I'm not saying it will easy. Or that I can even succeed. It was rather a fluke that time I did. But I want to try."  
Cosmo bit his lip, looked down, then up, then down again. "If it hurts, you stop okay? Promise!"  
Ace was silent, then nodded slowly. "Okay," he relented. "Here, relax."  
Ace arranged Cosmo against the couch, uncertain exactly what would happen. The teen went willingly, falling back, trembling, eyes nervous but needing.  
"Promise, Ace," he reminded shortly.  
Ace smiled. Even fighting his own pain, Cosmo still put him first. "I promise, now relax. Just breathe," he urged, voice lilting, smooth.  
Almost instinctively Cosmo reacted to that tone in his voice, the one he used during the more difficult moments of magic training and the feverish eyes slid close as Cosmo tried to just breathe. The trembling eased a touch, though it never had actually left completely since this nightmare had started.  
"Breathe. Good...good," Ace whispered as he let his own eyes close, slowly drawing the magic in, letting it ripple through him. It answered his call and he started shaping it to his will. In his mind he relaxed, drew in and opened his awareness. Without the link in place he would have to reach out. Bridge the gap. Anna had told him some could do it. Though it was never easy, especially those who weren't gifted with mind magic's as Cosmo seemed to be. But, he had to try. So he willed the magic into a thread, a tendril of power, and brought to mind his last experience, the last time he had reached out to Cosmo's silent mind. Remembered the unique feeling of his friend's own mind. Focused his perception on the body of his partner and directed the power out to connect them.  
A gasp ripped from his body as connection was made. The world tilted sickly as Ace willed it to still as he found himself once again in an alien landscape. Feelings, emotions, not his, yet familiar trickled in at first, then with growing clarity as he steadied the magic force around them.  
Cosmo's defenses did not react. His mind was not attacked. It never came and relief mixed with dread washed through him. Relief that his mind was not ripped to pieces and dread that the fact it wasn't pointed to the damage done to Cosmo. But those were not the only emotions he felt. There was more, much more.. fear, dread, worry, anger, hurt... It was making him nauseous the rapid fire speed that the sensations hit him. How the heck did Cosmo survive this? Ace bit back a whimper at the mental deluge. How? On a day to day basis no less.  
Ace briefly considered throwing up a shield, but it would cut off the connection completely. No.. unsettling and difficult as it was he had to keep the path clear. It was the only way. Whether it made him ill of not.  
"Ace.." it was whispered and Ace opened his eyes slightly, still in control of the magic as he looked at Cosmo. The teen wasn't shivering, breathing still slightly labored, eyes closed.  
Ace took it as a good sign. He had no real way to know if Cosmo was receiving his emotions. He simply assumed he was, since Ace was receiving Cosmo's. His hand rose unconsciously and Ace gently took it, fingers wrapping loosely around it.  
The warmth grew in his mind and Ace closed his eyes again trying to focus on the positive emotions lost amongst so many negative ones. Dear god, so much information hitting him so quickly. The world was quickly becoming an emotional rollercoaster around him. He wanted to draw back. Wanted to desperately. It was natural, to try and flee the sensations pouring dizzyingly over his mind, to fight the presence intruding into his thoughts. He couldn't fight it though. Forced himself to relax and let it happen, though he felt his gut clench nauseously.  
"Ace... okay?" Cosmo asked softly, worry tingeing his voice. "Feel you.. upset."  
He smiled. Cosmo felt his emotions. Now that he was sure, it was a weight off his chest.  
"I'm okay, Cosmo," he whispered.  
"Ace?"  
"Okay, Cosmo."  
Ace willed his emotions into form, giving them a definite shape. Ace forced himself to relax a touch more, strengthening the bind and letting his love and caring shine in his thoughts, concentrating on the most positive emotions he felt toward his young partner and attempting to ignore the negative ones this spell was causing. It was too much for the teen to resist anymore, the need just too desperate. Ace bit his lip as gratitude burst through his mind with an answering love and loyalty that almost side swiped him with its intensity. His body trembled, fighting the emotions on top of channeling the magic required.  
Damn, this was hard! Ace forced his attention from the rising discomfort to try and study the event shifting within his own mind. Being in Cosmo's mind. His feelings. It was so damn strange.  
Dear Lord, how could Cosmo handle this so easily?!  
Ace let out a small gasp as the magic force surged suddenly. The power was becoming hard to control, the energy required to bridge their minds tremendous, one step below calling the entirety of the Magic Force to him. It was becoming harder to maintain the spell. Sensing this surely, Cosmo thoughts echoed worry, concern... And gratitude. Acceptance.  
Ace understood the silent blessing for him to depart. He felt tremendous relief at that and slight guilt for feeling that relief. He tried to draw away delicately but the transition was as sharp as night and day and Ace gasped. He could swear he heard an audible *snap* as he rocketed back into his own mind. The world still a momentary blur as Ace severed the ties to the Magic Force and let the energy go back to rest as a shudder tore though his body.  
"Thank you, Ace," Cosmo said softly.  
Ace opened his eyes, chest heaving from the exertion and saw the young man slumped against the couch, eyes closed, breathing easy. A peace that had been gone too long settling over his friend. The gray eyes opened slightly, sleepily.  
"Thank you."  
Ace squeezed the hand still in his grip. "Sleep, Cosmo," he urged gently, helping Cosmo stretch out on the couch.  
A slight nod answered him as the eyes drifted close again. It took no more then a moment for Cosmo's body to completely relax, a peaceful sleep claiming him for the first time in days. Ace sat there quietly, feeling exhausted and disturbed, but pleased. It was hard to let his younger partner willingly into his thoughts, had been hard to feel the teen’s emotions in turn, but he had done it. Had done it without knocking them both on their butts as a the result.  
Ace smiled and pulled off his cape, tucking it around his smaller friend. He hurt abominably, a headache announcing its presence with growing fury as he slumped down in the easy chair. But he accepted the pain. Would accept it again if need be. As long he achieved the desired results. Ace's smile widened a touch. The results were right in front of him and they were good.

* * *

Another short night, another early morning. Ace felt like he had run a marathon, mentally and physically. Emotionally he was even worse. He swallowed the negative emotions rising inside him at the thought of what still was: Cosmo without his magic and the empathy. No time for that. Just no time. It was hard to reign in his sometimes overprotective streak, but he gave it his best shot.  
Dragging his protesting body under the shower he stood there for a long while, letting the water pound onto his muscles, feeling them relax only slightly. Last night's experiment had left its marks. Not only had he fought a murderous headache for most of the night, but now he was also suffering from an abused body complaining more than necessary.  
Cursing under his breath, he finally exited the shower and toweled himself off. Dressing in his pants and pulling on a T-shirt, he proceeded into the kitchen.  
Coffee.  
It was the only coherent thought right now.  
Coffee and aspirin.  
The headache was no longer pounding, but there was enough left to remind him to take it easy. He had overcast just a bit and was thankfully not suffering the effects of a migraine. It would be more than just uncomfortable with a real backlash.  
Cosmo was still sleeping. It was only six a.m. and the teenager needed his sleep. Ace had long debated whether to get him into his own bed or to leave him on the couch. In the end he had decided that the couch would probably leave him with a bunch of corded neck muscles, so he had dragged him off to his room. He wasn't even sure that Cosmo had been truly aware of what was going on. He had been too beat.  
Watching the coffee gurgle as the coffee machine did its work, Ace allowed himself a smile. He might be suffering backlash from the spell, but it had been so worth it. Cosmo's mind was momentarily at peace and even if the effect was temporary, it was a relief for his friend. Ace's smile widened and he poured the coffee into a mug. The black liquid appeared thicker than usual. Piling more coffee than necessary into the percolator had turned it into a lethal beverage for everything that had the misfortune of drowning in the mug. With the mug in one hand, Ace went into the living room.  
Suddenly there was a soft beeping noise. Someone was calling. As he found out a second later, it was Mona.  
"Ace, I..... Oh, did I wake you?" she asked.  
Ace smiled. "No. I had little sleep last night, Mona." Usually he never looked that tired.  
"I heard about the incident at the Ring..... are you okay?" Worry laced her voice and Ace wished Mona hadn't heard about the fire. He didn't want her to worry about him. Then again, she knew his profession and his 'hobby'.  
"I'm fine. Inhaled a bit of smoke, have a few bruises, but otherwise I'm fine." He gave her another smile.  
She didn't seem convinced, but she wouldn't be Mona if she would be easily fooled by his soothing explanations.  
"I also called to see if you are free tonight or tomorrow," Mona finally said.  
A million thoughts raced through his head, all coming to one conclusion. He had no time. He couldn't leave Cosmo alone and because of the unknown assailant, everyone around him was in danger of being hit as well.  
"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I'm a bit busy at the moment."  
Mona frowned almost imperceptibly, but she nodded. "I understand."  
"Listen, I'll give you a call when things quiet down around here," Ace added, almost desperate.  
"Is there anything I can help with?"  
"No!" He stopped, aware of his rushed denial. "Mona, I.... it's something personal. Very personal. It's....."  
She shook her head. "It's okay, Ace. Just call when you have the time."  
The screen went dark and Ace felt like banging his head against the wall. Idiot! He was definitely not tracking well. Not at all.  
He fell into the armchair and glared at the table. A folder glared back. It was the folder Vega had left last night. It was still laying on the table. Ace picked it up, leafing through the forensics report.  
He rubbed at the residual sleep in his eyes and stared at the sheets of paper before him. It took actual minutes for him to distinguish the neat print from its pale blue background, but as the coffee worked its magic on his system, his mind started to get with the program.  
Taking another sip, Ace grimaced and stared at the cup. How much had he put in the percolator anyway? With a vague gesture, the sugar cup appeared on the coffee table and he graced his mug with a sweet little cube. That should help.  
 Ace allowed himself to slouch a bit as he read the forensic team's finding. Interesting construction. Titanium outer casing with ceramic composite interior, protecting the microfiliment wires that were sandwiched between the layers, crisscrossing the entire circumference of the sphere. The microfiliments were gold. Pure gold. The most conductive material on earth. The perfect delivery system for the electrical charge  
‘Of course,’ Ace thought bitterly, reading on.  
Okay. Small control chip-- still relatively intact. A sensor generally used in the electrical industry to monitor energy fluctuations in power lines, altered to detect a wider band of electrical impulses.  
‘Of course,’ Ace thought again.  
A second data chip being added to the first. The second chip was beyond recovery, but the report hinted at what Ace suspected: energy field analyzer. Calibrated to an energy field that the lab was unfamiliar with but Ace knew a magician radiated. With that linked to the first chip, it would recognize a magician in a heartbeat.  
And had.  
Ace forced back the rising anger. His strained emotional and physically state was making the emotions all the more biting and dangerous. He was unaware of his fist clenching at the paper in hand, the paper crinkled in his tightening grip. Feeling the magic gurgle around him, answering his fragile emotional state, Ace finally snapped out of the rising tide of dark emotions with a sigh of annoyance. He didn’t need that as well. Bad enough to be abrupt with Mona, worse to let his magic get overpowered by his emotions.  
Taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly, Ace forced his mind to still, let himself slip for a moment into a relaxation exercise, distractedly feeding off the built up magical energy by levitating the sugar cubes in the table top container. It helped, and soon Ace felt safe to continue. While one finger played idly with the little white squares, making them bounce and weave around each other, he returned to his reading.  
Okay, one chip totally destroyed, the other one with a partial ID number salvaged. The sphere itself a custom construction requiring meticulous engineering and metallurgy skills and some form of access to precession machining equipment. Not cheap stuff either. Even if their attacker had only a small shop set up in their home, it would still be a sizable investment.  
Not ruling out that their attacker could be ‘attackers’. Plural.  
Ace sighed and tucked that thought aside. They were having a hard enough time finding one man, let alone multiple.  
Ace, still playing with the sugar cubes, delivered a second one to his coffee and took another sip as he flipped the page. Electron Microscope test results? Ace raised an eyebrow at that. Damn. Vega must have pulled in some serious favors to get the sphere looked at this meticulously. Ace smiled faintly. He knew he had poor Vega at the end of his rope on this one. He was going to owe his older friend big time once this business was done with.  
If it was ever done with, the dark voice of doubt whispered.  
Ace snarled at it and shoved the thought aside. They would find their attacker and they would find a cure for Cosmo. There would be no other alternative acceptable to Ace. None!  
Once that was settled, Ace took another sip of his coffee and continued his reading.  
“What?!”  
The sugar cubes went bouncing pell-mell as Ace gasped, the coffee cup in his hand hitting the table hard and sloshing the black liquid over its lip and onto his hand. But Ace didn’t notice as he reread the report to make sure it was right.  
 _  
-Microscopic traces of quartz. Found imbedded in the sphere interior, suffering molecular disruption from electrical vaporization.-  
_  
Ace made himself release the coffee cup in hand and shook the droplets of bitter brew from his fingers.  
Damn.  
Losing himself in the silence of the living room, Ace considered the ramifications of those two sentences. So, his first hunch had been right. That it had taken more than purely technical means to steal away Cosmo’s magic. There was no doubt now. Forensics couldn’t come up with any reasonable explanation why the quartz fragments would be necessary to the electrical device and they never would, because that stone had nothing to do with science. Nothing at all.  
 But....  
 It had everything to do with magic.

* * *

"Quartz?" Kate asked, frowning. "There was quartz in the sphere?"  
Ace nodded. "Forensics has no idea why there would be traces of a gemstone in the device, but it's there. Microscopic particles. The lab ran quite some tests and those particles showed up throughout the last run. They nearly overlooked it because there isn't much left of the original stone. Looks like it was destroyed when the sphere discharged."  
She snorted. "Do you know what it takes to destroy a quartz crystal?"  
Ace didn't really want to ponder it. It told him just what kind of power had surged through Cosmo.  
"Any idea why he'd put a quartz stone into the device? I found some articles on the magical qualities of gemstones, but nothing definite."  
Her forehead scrunched up in thought. “This could change everything. Perhaps the initial electrical charge wasn’t so much meant to hurt Cosmo as it was to destroy the stone.” Her brow furrowed further. “That would explain the residual energy reading Angel had. Destroying the stone would, theoretically, release the magic stored inside in a single burst. Depending on the amount stored, whoever was on the receiving end could be caught a large magical discharge.”  
 “Enough to overload or block another magic users powers?” Ace asked.  
 “Maybe,” Kate blew out a soft breath and shrugged slightly. "I'm not really good on the magic stone side of life." She turned to her computer and typed a few commands, then grimaced. "But my computer knows a whole lot about it. Clear quartz crystal is attributed with protection, healing, psychism and power. If abused, the crystal can be used for the opposite."  
"Destroying instead of healing," Ace translated quietly.  
"It also says something about a Chakra here. Huh, lemme see." She typed a few commands again. "Sending it to you. There's a lot to read. I'll see if I can extract what might be of use from all of this information." She sighed.  
"It's greatly appreciated, Kate."  
"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off. "How's Cosmo?"  
Ace's face darkened. "Holding on. Not getting any better." He sighed. "He's so quiet, Kate. It's so unlike Cosmo not to talk or to move around, ceaselessly doing something or other..."  
"You will find a way to undo this, Ace," Kate told him, full conviction in her voice. "Maybe his body will unravel his messed up energy field all by its own. Sort through the magical overload."  
"But how long will it take?"  
Ace thought of the weary smiles, the defeated hunch of Cosmo's body, and he felt murderous anger rise inside. He compared the Cosmo of now to the usual Cosmo, the one who seemed to have an edge to him, a restrained motion that could burst free any time, and the anger darkened more.  
Kate had no answer for his question and he gave her a good-night nod. Ace switched off the com and looked at the inbox of his email. Kate's little mail sat in the folder and he opened it.  
"Magic stones. Chakra," he read. "A Sanskrit or Indic language word for spinning wheel or vortex. The word used to describe the invisible energy centers of multicolored flowing energy. The centers which balance, store and distribute the energies of life throughout the human body. Chakras are the conductors of energy. The first or root Chakra deals with the physical body and the 'root' of all others. A good Balancer is needed here.'  
Quartz was one of the stones mentioned to be used for first Chakra use.  
Ace stared at the screen. Stone magic was not his forte. To be completely honest, he had never used a stone to enhance his powers. He didn't need them. He had read about the possibility for lesser magicians to use stones to channel their powers, but that was about it. He sighed. So their man was using stone magic. With technology. It either meant he wasn't really good at magic, or he was so good that he stored his powers inside a conductor and encased it all with the latest in technology. Either way, he was dangerous.  
The name James Calen sprang to mind again. Calen had worked with technology to make up for his rather mediocre magic skills. But Calen was locked up in a mental home! And there was no magic left in him; at least none he could access. He was still a channel for magical powers, but he couldn't reach, let alone control them.  
Ace glared at nothing in particular. The most likely suspect was also off the list because he was a vegetable.  
But he had had a visitor.  
The magician sighed. This was getting him nowhere, except much closer to a permanent scowl etched into his face.  
Deciding that some breakfast would be nice, he rose and walked off into the kitchen. Cosmo would wake throughout the next hour, he guessed, and busying himself with something other than the current crisis might even get his thought processes starting again.

* * *

Cosmo yawned. Man, this was boring. It took his mind off the missing link, but it was still boring, and there was no end in sight. His sleep had been dreamless, close to restful. He had Ace to thank for that. Man, did he owe his partner big time. Mind magic's were supposedly his forte, not Ace’s. It was dangerous what Ace had done. It was insane! And he felt guilty for needing the gift the magician had offered. And grateful that his friend was nuts enough to try that spell in the first place. Way nuts! Smiling slightly at the thought of his sometimes overgenerous and undercautious friend, Cosmo now put his slightly clearer state of mind to good use. Even if what he was doing was boring him to death.  
He sat at the computer control console in Angel's main room, going through the collected data, entering new reference material, waiting for the computer to give him a new list. Cosmo was running cross-references on possible suspects, namely the janitors and cleaning personnel of the Ring Theater, and it was a dull job. Not only did the Ring employ hundreds, no, they also worked in shifts, were part-time workers, or had different areas of access.  
There was no way he could narrow the search down to only men or only women. Though there was still the nagging reminder that James Calen had received visits from a young man, they couldn't singularly hunt for younger men. Maybe Calen had had a friend.  
Yeah, right!  
Cosmo snorted. The man had been an arrogant SOB who didn't even know the definition of friendship, totally self-centered, and completely absorbed in his revenge plans.  
Still, no way Cosmo would simply delete part of the suspects because they didn't fit the description 'young and male'. Too chancy. They might be wrong. What had helped was the fact that the people in question worked with different areas of access. Not all janitors had access to the lower levels of the Theater because each one worked in a specific area. There were actually classifications. One group was responsible for stage stuff, others for back stage, again others for the outside of the building, again others worked the lower levels. The Ring Theater was a monumental construction.  
Cleaning personnel had been erased from the search pattern immediately. They didn't have access cards for the garbage areas. At least not for the storage facilities for the boxes and things. They unloaded the picked up garbage in a shaft that ended in the lower levels. No access other than that and Cosmo doubted anyone would willingly jump down that shaft to grab a box.  
After three hours of work and cursing, he finally came up with a rather thinned out version of the prior list. The names on the list were people who regularly worked when Ace was on stage. It was an idea that had struck him while entering parameters. The perp had to have watched Ace, either throughout rehearsals or the show. Anyone could get into the show if he had tickets, but not all could watch rehearsals. Next had been the access card level. Deleting the management from the list, he now had ten names. If he then ignored the one on vacation and the fact that two of those printed were women and one was a man in his fifties, he was looking at a manageable task.  
"Angel, find and print the personnel files on the list," he ordered. "Include the picture."  
"As you wish," the computer answered.  
Okay, more reading, but at least it was a great advantage to the over sixty names he had had before. Angel delivered the file ten minutes later and he grabbed the stack of paper. He wandered into the living room, briefly wondering why there were sugar cubes all over the place as he settled down on the couch and went over the first prints.  
   
Ace wandered into the living room, slightly surprised to see Cosmo going over a stack of papers. He’d just put the kitchen back into a semblance of order and caught up with some of the more mundane chores while Cosmo sorted out the personnel files. Curious, he came over and peeked over one shoulder at the results.  
 “Anything yet?”  
 A slight shrug. “Narrowed it down to seven people so far that meet our criteria.” Cosmo held up the file he’d just been scanning. “Just started getting a better look now.”  
 Ace studied the picture and dossier of one Jeffrey Taylor. Married, no children, worked full time...  
 “It’s a start,” he offered halfheartedly setting the file aside. Jeffrey didn’t strike him as the man they were looking for. To stable, good work history... Sitting down Ace divided what was left and started going over the files with his partner.  
 “Ace, what if nothing shows up?" Cosmo asked quietly, not looking at him. It was a thought that had gone through Ace’s head but he didn’t let it reach his voice.  
 “We’ll find something, Cosmo, don’t worry,”  
 “Yeah, but..”  
 Ace stilled the rising negative tide with a pat to one shoulder.  
 “We will.” His complete conviction answered the wavering belief in his apprentice and Cosmo offered a grateful smile forcing himself back to his reading.  
 “Man, now what?”  
 Ace chewed his lip thoughtfully, then collected the files into a heap.  
 “Let’s get a second opinion.” At Cosmo’s confused glance he elaborated. “Let’s talk to Fritz Fitzhugh. He’s the head of personnel at the theater. If anyone can tell us anything useful about these workers, it’ll be him.”  
 Fritz Fitzhugh was surprised to say the least when they showed up at his door.  
 “Certainly, Mr. Cooper, I’d be more than happy to help,” he said, pulling a chair in for Cosmo as Ace sat. “But do you really think it was an employee who set the firebomb?”  
 Ace smiled at Fritz’s worry. The man was truly unhappy with the thought that someone he might have hired would turn out to be a deranged killer.  
 “It’s just a possibility, Fritz. We’re not jumping to any conclusions, just trying to gather information.”  
 Fritz seemed slightly relieved. It was no great secret Ace’s crimefighting habits and it was not at all unexpected in the theater staff that he would investigate his own attack.  
 “I understand,” Fritz said, taking his seat.  
 “And, I trust you’ll keep this under wraps. I don’t wish to disturb the theater staff with my own investigations,” Ace added with a charming smile.  
 Fritz nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. No, not a word will leave this room I assure you.”  
 Ace nodded, satisfied. “Cosmo.”  
 Cosmo leaned forward, laying out the stack of files.  
 “I just need to know anything you know about these people.”  
 First was Jeffrey Taylor.  
 Fritz took it. “Oh, Jeffrey. Yes, we just hired him. He’s been here for about three weeks. Handling the concessions right now,”  
 “His file says he works for janitorial?” Cosmo piped.  
  Fritz nodded. “Yes, he was hired for it, but Jeffrey hurt his back two days after starting. Doctor's orders restricted him from heavy lifting so we moved him to concession. He’ll be there for another week.”  
 Ace nodded and pulled the file away, setting it into what he already marked as the -not suspect- pile. Another one was offered to Fritz.  
 “Oh, Bryce, nice kid. Shy as all get out, but a good worker.”  
 “Any problems?” Ace asked lightly. Fritz shrugged. “No, no.. very dedicated. Took us awhile to sort out his schedule. Insisted on Wednesdays off and all but begged for the evening shift jobs.” Fritz laughed. “Not the most popular shift during and after the shows. A lot of cleanup, but the overtime’s good.”  
 Ace nodded and put Bryce into the still suspect pile. Yet another portfolio dropped in front of Fritz.  
 “Oh yeah, Rick. Been a little trouble with him,” Fritz sighed. Ace raised an eyebrow and the head of personnel continued. “Remember back when we had that string of petty thefts?” Ace nodded, a few of his lesser props had gone as well. “Well, the word on the grapevine is that Rick had something to do with it. Not enough information to press charges, but I’m keeping an eye on him.”  
 “What days does he work?”  
 “Rick? Oh he pulls the Thursday to Sunday shift. He’s part time.”  
 Ace nodded and that file went into the still suspect pile.  
 It went on like that till there were four files in the no longer suspect pile and three in the suspect. The last being a Jerry Ringer who’d had no particular points against him, but had been working during every incident.  
 Ace smiled and stood, handing one stack to Cosmo and keeping the other for himself.  
 “Thank you, Fritz, for all your help,” Ace said holding out his hand. Fritz took it, shaking it firmly.  
 “More than glad to oblige. I swear I’ll keep this under wraps. I just really hope it isn’t one of our people causing all this trouble.”  
 Ace nodded and sighed. “So do I, Fritz. So do I.”

* * *

Ace had spent hours brooding over the selected few suspects, but he was getting nowhere, except closer to a headache. All of them were suspicious. One way of getting an answer as to who might be the main suspect would be to ask the nurses and doctors at the Tayler home. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.  He really didn't want to go back there. Being so close to Calen did something inside Ace and he didn't like it.  
An hour later he had a solution, though not a very willing one. Derek Vega had dropped by to see how he was doing, how Cosmo was faring, and one look at the magician had told him more than anything Ace could have said. And they got talking.

Vega listened to his friend's words, then sighed silently. He should have expected something like this happening sooner or later.  
"Ace, this is a shot in the dark!" He shook his head, sorting through the papers. "Even people like Calen can have visitors."  
"Not people like Calen!" Ace retorted angrily, feeling his anger rise. "The man had no friends, Vega! He was an arrogant snob! He had no associates except those he used!"  
"Ace.... it's not impossible to think that...."  
Ace's temper flared again, a rare occasion, but when it did, it flared well. "He is a killer, Vega!" he snapped. "He killed the woman who meant more to me than anything in the world at the time! He killed my friend and teacher! I know the man better than anyone! He had no friends! Ever!"  
Vega watched the younger man, calmly met the sparking gray eyes, sighing softly after a while. Ace suddenly dropped his eyes and buried his head in his hands.  
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't want to snap."  
The older man smiled warmly. "I know." He looked at the collection of printed pictures again. "Okay, listen, I can handle the questioning of the nurses and doctors. They might be more open toward a police officer than to you, who, despite your fame, are still a civilian."  
Ace looked reluctant, very reluctant. Vega understood the drive behind his friend's behavior, but he also knew that for one, Ace was already busy keeping his business life, his private life and the current crisis under control; and second, he didn't really want him to go back to the place where James Calen was held at. Once had been enough. He had seen that in Ace's eyes. And the explosion just now had added the rest. Ace was likely to go off on his own and hunt down the suspect if the nurses identified one of the pictures.  
"It's not a police case," Ace now started.  
Smack him over the head. With a mallet. Big one. Would be the best, Vega thought, putting just enough of that thought on his face to make Ace see it.  
"I'm not here as a police officer," he said. "I'm here as a friend. Let me help as a friend."  
"Derek...."  
"And it's what I'm really good at," he interrupted whatever argument would have come next, grinning.  
Ace snorted.  
"Hey, it's what all cops are good at. Running around and asking stupid questions." Another grin flashed over his lips.  
"Okay, okay, I give up." The magician smiled.  
"Good. I was running out of peaceful arguments."  
Ace rolled his eyes. Vega picked up the pictures and slipped them into his coat's pocket.  
"I'll call you when I find something. Don't do anything I wouldn't," he then advised.  
"Yes, sir," Ace said, slight amusement in his voice.  
Vega scowled, then left. Some footwork was good, he thought. Spending the morning cooped up in his office was not his favorite past time, and he had some actual police work to do outside the precinct anyway. He could slip in the visit to the Tayler Home without a problem.

* * *

Vega walked through the cool but brightly lit main corridor of the Tayler Home, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Not because of who he knew was here, Calen, but because of the whole setting. It looked modern, clean and well-kept, but it was a mental home. People with mental disorders or the criminally insane were here. He had had his share of run-ins with mentally disordered people, criminal or not, and thinking that the nurses and doctors here had to interact with them day by day made him feel slightly unwell. He had less problems visiting a prison facility.  
"Lieutenant Vega, this is Dr. Dukakis," the young woman who had guided him along the corridor introduced him to the head doctor.  
They shook hands and Dukakis shot him a questioning look. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant Vega?"  
"I'm investigating into a case of rather high classification," Vega lied smoothly. "I can't tell you the details, but I need to ask you and maybe some of the nurses a few questions."  
"Of course." Dukakis looked a bit mystified. "What do you want to know?"  
"Someone has been visiting Mr. James Calen frequently. This person is the possible suspect in a criminal investigation I cannot tell you more about. I'd like to ask you to look at some pictures and tell me if one of the people is him. I'd like the nurses to do the same."  
Dukakis frowned. "Mr. Calen and his visitor? People seem to be very interested in them lately."  
Vega smiled without humor. "It seems like it."  
The doctor scowled as Vega refused to reveal more. He simply took out the pictures Ace had given him and showed them to Dukakis. When he looked at Bryce Sanderson, he frowned.  
"That guy looks like him, but I can't be sure."  
"What can you tell me about him?"  
"Well, Mr. Calen's visitor comes in once a week, always the same day: Wednesday. He stays for about three to four hours, he talks to the patient, sometimes takes him outside into the gardens. I don't know his name. I think Phyllis once mentioned his first name. Brad. I think it was Brad."  
"Who is Phyllis?"  
"Nurse Phyllis Vermont. She is the head nurse and knows almost everyone here." Dukakis smiled.  
"Is she currently here?"  
He looked at his watch. "I think she is off duty right now, but we might still catch her in the nurses' lounge."  
He led Vega down more corridors and into the nurses' private lounge, a small room with two tables, a couch and some chairs. Three nurses were present, two talking animatedly over some pictures, another one looking around the fridge.  
"Phyllis?"  
The woman at the fridge looked up. "Oh, hi," she greeted him curiosity crossing her features as she discovered Vega. She closed the fridge's door.  
"Phyllis, this is Lieutenant Vega of the Electro City police. He wants to know more about Mr. Calen's visitor."  
The two other nurses watched them curiously their talk forgotten for now.  
"Brian?"  
Okay, so much for 'Brad' or 'Bryce', Vega thought dryly. Now he nodded. "If that is his name. Do you think you could identify him on a picture?"  
She frowned. "Of course. He comes here ever Wednesday at ten a.m. sharp. He stays till after lunch time, then leaves again. Pleasant young man. A bit on the shy side, but he thawed after a while. He's very dedicated to Mr. Calen, talks to him, reads to him, but he never talks about himself." She shrugged. "I first thought he was a younger brother or something, but Mr. Calen has no siblings or any next of kin listed. I don't know where they know each other from, but you couldn't ask for a more dedicated visitor."  
Vega made mental noted and pulled out the pictures again. "Would you please look at those pictures and tell me if you recognize him in them?"  
"Sure."  
Phyllis slowly shuffled through the pictures, looking at one for a longer time. She tapped on it. "That looks like him. He has shorter hair now and is a bit thinner, but that is him."  
Vega looked at the picture that showed Bryce Sanderson, janitor at the Ring Theater. He was a young man, maybe in his early twenties, with longish, brown hair, watery blue eyes, a thin, pale face, looking like he was not at all happy.  
"Did he ever talk to you about anything in his personal life?" Vega asked.  
"No. As I said, he's very shy. Barely got out his name when I first asked him."  
"Was he required to leave his full name and address when he visited Mr. Calen?"  
Dukakis shook his head. "No. He isn't next of kin and never wanted to be listed as a contact in case of a problem. He said he's only visiting."  
Phyllis nodded in agreement. "The kid is so self-absorbed, it's scary sometimes. I think he once mentioned his name. Thompson or something. I'm not sure. Is he in trouble, Lieutenant?"  
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you, Mrs. Vermont, I hope you understand. It's still an open investigation."  
She didn't look pleased, but she accepted it. "Well, I hope he's not in trouble. He's such a nice kid."  
I hope he isn't the perpetrator either, Vega thought, looking at the picture again. Bryce Sanderson or Brian Thompson looked like every mother's favorite son, someone who would never do anything wrong, just listen to his mom.....  
He thanked both the nurse and doctor and left the home. He briefly thought about running by the precinct and employing Ms. LeSage to check the names against the picture, maybe find a file, but then decided against it. No need to accidentally run into Friedrichs. The captain surely would have something or other to complain about, then demand to know what he was working on and how the cases he had were going. As if he couldn't just look into the files.  
Vega sighed and shook his head. No, better contact Ace and see what was up on that front. He activated the com inside the car. Ace was on the line almost immediately and Vega relayed the information as he drove through the thin traffic. Ace's voice held a hard edge he didn't like.  
"Ace, promise you won't do anything," he said, voice holding a threat. "If this guy is the one responsible, it's a police matter. No vigilante stuff."  
He could almost imagine the smile on Ace's lips. A very humorless smile. "Vigilante. Vega, please...."  
"Ace, promise!" he insisted.  
A sigh. "Okay, I promise."  
Why am I not convinced? Vega thought wryly. He should have gone over to the Express and told Ace face to face. This way he could have made sure that the magician didn't run off half-cocked, stop him. Who was he kidding? Stopping Ace when he was determined to do something was impossible.  
Vega shook his head. What had he ever done to deserve this?  
"Listen, I'll come by in maybe an hour or two and we can talk about what to do next, all right? This kid isn't necessarily the guy in question. He is simply Calen's regular visitor."  
"Who happens to work at the Ring. After my shows or throughout rehearsal," Ace commented. "And there is nothing simple about visiting James Calen."  
There he goes again. Vega couldn't blame him. Anna's death had weighed on him as well. He had known the woman as long as Ace. She had been a kind, warm-hearted person, and he had liked coming to visit. She had understood Ace's problem, had taught him to handle the magic, had guided him, raised him in many ways..... and Calen had taken this away from Ace. He had brutally murdered her.  
"Ace, you promised."  
"My memory is working fine, thank you, Vega," the magician answered sarcastically.  
He sighed deeply, audibly. "Behave," was all he said, then shut off the com.

***

Ace stared at the dead com line for a second, then rose swiftly and walked into the computer center where Cosmo was still working on cross-references, trying to further narrow down their search or even come up with new possibilities. Their trip to the Ring Theater had given them a bunch of little tid-bits, but nothing really downright useful. Now, that had all changed.  
Ace took the printed versions of the personnel files and shuffled through them. Cosmo gave him a quizzical look.  
"Got a lead?"  
"Possibly." He found the sought-for printout and slapped it onto the console.  
Cosmo looked at it. "Bryce Sanderson?"  
"The staff at the Tayler Home identified him as Calen's visitor." Ace's voice held a cold note.  
"Isn't he the guy who always takes of Wednesday mornings? Insists on working the evening shifts?"  
Ace nodded. "And he is one of the three who regularly work throughout rehearsals or after my shows, which means he could watch me." He stabbed at the address printed on the paper. "Riverview Apartments."  
"That's halfway across town from where the package was mailed from," Cosmo said.  
"So he's smart."  
“Maybe... Here.” Cosmo held his hand out and confused, Ace dropped the file in it. Cosmo rifled through it and pulled out a page.  
“What are looking for?” he asked.  
“Just an idea, Ace.” Cosmo studied the printout then attacked the keyboard.  
“Dare I ask?”  
Cosmo chuckled. “Well.. it struck me that our perp is pretty smart like you said. Now, if you were trying to kill someone, you would get hired at their place of business under a fake name right?”  
 Ace nodded slowly. “Yes, it’d only make sense.”  
 “Yup,” Cosmo agreed. “And if you’re really smart, you’d have a fake address to go right along with that fake name.”  
 Ace blinked and almost smacked himself in the forehead. Of course! That would be an almost infantile mistake giving a fake name and a real address when you were determined not to be found.  
“So what’s your idea?”  
“I noticed that when anyone gets hired they copy their drivers license for records. Now faking an ID is easy. Most people like to use the real thing and doctor it. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles uses special holographic paper and the stuff’s a pain to duplicate. Overlaying the false info is easier...” Cosmo stammered to a stop when he noticed Ace giving him an odd look  
“And dare I ask how you know this?” Ace queried with a raised eyebrow.  
Cosmo blanched. “Uhm.. ehrr.. I...” The eyebrow crept higher and Cosmo finally let out an annoyed snort.  
“Let’s just say I know how and leave it at that,” he muttered setting back to work. Ace kept giving him *the Look* but then relented and patted him on the shoulder.  
“You were saying,” Ace prodded.  
Cosmo let out another snort. “Saying too much,” he muttered darkly, then sighed, leaning back in the chair. “Basically, changing your name and personal information: address, age, height, blah, blah, blah is easy. What most people leave alone is the pin number at the bottom. One, because most people don’t even know what it’s for, and two, the only time anyone references it is if you're arrested.”  
 “And this means...?”  
 “This means when I get my butt into the BMV’s files, I can track the pin number to the original undoctored file which should have Bryce’s true address.” Cosmo shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”  
“Damn straight it is,” Ace decided. “How long will it take?”  
Cosmo grinned as the screen flashed. “Already done.”  
“Some days you amaze me, Cosmo,” Ace whispered as he studied the BMV files.  
“Only some days? Man, I must be losing my touch,” Cosmo muttered and Ace would have smiled but he found it. The address he was looking for.  
"Brian Thomas. Sunset Terrace."  
A little sigh. "We check out his address then?"  
A gleam Cosmo didn't like was in Ace's eyes, but somehow, deep down inside, he had the same feelings rising. "Exactly."

* * *

The afternoon had started out with light rain. Strings of water fell endlessly from a slate gray sky, the ground muddy, puddles forming on the street and sidewalks. Electro City had a lot of sunny days, but today, nothing of that showed. Ace had parked the Racer two blocks away from the apartment block where Brian Thomas lived. It was a neat, rather new block, consisting of six stories, containing four apartments on each level. The lawn in front of the building was trimmed, the bushes cut back, and the building supervisor had taken great care of planting some flowers.  
Sunset Terrace was one of the medium income communities of Electro City. Families lived here, either in their own houses or in rented apartments. Clean, neat, no extraordinary crime rate, shops along the town center, playgrounds for the kids, police patrols throughout the day. The people who lived here either worked in the City or had their own little shops, doing office work, going to work from eight to five. All so normal, outside the glitz and glamour, away from the filth and poverty of other suburbs.  
Walking up to the block where Thomas had rented a two room apartment, Cosmo wondered if they were right. Brian Thomas fit in a way, but why would such a normal person try to kill Ace? He was a janitor, he had a normal income, no family, lived in a good area, had a little savings account. From the data in the computers he had only one parking ticket from three years ago with a bike, was five years older than Cosmo, and had never really stood out. Normal, normal, normal.  
Ace sought out the right name plate and rang. No answer. He rang again. Again no answer. Frowning with annoyance, he looked at Cosmo, who simply shrugged. Getting into the apartment block was easy. Magic had a way of convincing even electronic locks to open. Brian's apartment was on the fourth floor, a corner apartment, overlooking Sunrise Park, a small assembly of trees, a children's playground, and a tiny pond. Ace stopped in front of the wooden door, looking at the number. 45. Fifth apartment, floor number four. He rang the bell and waited. Again no answer. They had come here to confront the man, but since he wasn't here....  
"Maybe he went away over the weekend," Cosmo mumbled.  
Possible. He wasn't on janitorial duty. Ace shrugged and did a little magic again, and the door swung open.  
"You know, that's breaking and entering," Cosmo said conversationally as they stepped inside.  
"It is, my accomplice," Ace said with a grin.  
Cosmo grimaced, then stopped, jaw hanging open. "Oh, man!" he whispered.  
The apartment was literally stacked with books. All the walls were crowded with shelves containing hundreds, if not thousands, of books. It smelled of books! They seemed to suck in the meager gray light coming through the window. The rain beat against the window panes, streaking it with water, making the outside world appear blurry and unreal. With the wan light and the dust, the brown and faded books, it was like peering through murky water.  
A couch was crammed into the living room, but there was no TV screen. Between the books sat a tiny stereo system and Cosmo went over to it, checking the CDs. The kid had taste, he thought with a grin. Then he looked at the books.  
Science. Electronics. Mechanics. Engineering. Magic.  
Magic!  
"Ace, dude...." Cosmo said, then discovered that Ace had already grabbed a book as well, frowning as he read the label.  
"Magic," the older man said.  
"Yup."  
Ace walked along the shelves. "Lots of books on magic. And all kinds of sciences." He picked up a little globe made of black stone streaked with yellow.  
Cosmo peaked into the next room, the bedroom, and whistled softly. It was a regular engineering lab. More shelves were on the wall and a long-stretched table was underneath the hanging shelves. On it were all kinds of little things. A model car. A motherboard from a computer. Tinkertoys. Completed models from other vehicles. Tools. Construction plans.  
"The guy seems to be a regular mechanic," Cosmo said. "Look at that stuff!"  
Ace nodded and checked the rest of the books. All magic, all paranormal, all science. Brian Thomas was interested in magic, he worked on toys, he built stuff.....  
Cosmo wandered around, aware that he was snooping, invading someone's privacy, but if Brian Thomas was their perp..... A wave of anger rose and he quickly squelched it.  
The kitchen was small, compact, and more or less neat. A cleaned glass and a bowl stood upside down next to the sink, apparently rinsed before leaving home. All was cleaned, but looked used, and the kitchen shelf was stacked with canned food and instant products.  
Bachelor, Cosmo thought. Neat bachelor.  
He walked back into the living room and found Ace next to the largest shelf, book in hand, staring at the page he had opened.  
"Ace?"  
Something was wrong. He didn't need empathy to tell that. Ace stood stiff as a statue, face a mask, his fingers digging into the thick leather binding.  
"Ace?" he called again.  
A muscle jumped in Ace's cheek and there was something burning in the gray eyes that made Cosmo shiver. An emotion he had rarely seen in his older friend. Hatred. Absolute hatred. He peeked into the book, trying to see what had disturbed Ace, and then his eyes fell on the scribbled notes. One name sprang forward.  
James Calen.  
He hissed softly as memories rose unbidden once more.  
The book had belonged to Calen!  
"It's not the only one," Ace broke the silence, voice so tightly controlled, Cosmo barely even recognized the tone.  
Ace placed the book back into the shelf with utter care, the muscle jumping again. Cosmo couldn't really know how hard it was for his friend to be reminded yet again of the those events, but he could try. Damn the lost link!  
Blocked, another part corrected.  
Okay, blocked.  
He inhaled deeply.  
"So the stuff here belonged to Calen?"  
"Apparently," Ace answered, voice rough.  
"And how did Brian get it?"  
Burning gray eye met his. "That I'm going to ask him face to face!"  
Cosmo replaced another book and walked along the long row of ancient books, intermixed with pocket books, magazines and copies in ring folders. He ran his fingers over the leather backs and stopped as he came upon a larger, thick leather-bound book that was at the end of row of magazines. It had nothing printed on the thick back and out of pure interest he grabbed it. Cosmo frowned as he saw that it was sealed by a strap lock. Easy to pick, his mind told him. The book was covered by an undisturbed layer of dust. No one had read it, though all the other books showed plenty of use, not a dust particle on them.  
Cosmo was about to try his luck at picking the lock when he discovered something else. There had been a picture crammed between the magazines next to the empty space. He pried it out and felt his stomach contract. The picture showed James Calen, his arrogant face set into a sneer that was probably intended as a smile. He stood outside the house that had now been destroyed. Next to him stood a lanky, skinny boy, maybe Cosmo's age. He had brown, tousled hair, was dressed in a baggy shirt and pants, the sleeves falling over his hands. All about him screamed 'nerd'. He was smiling shyly into the camera.  
"Shit," he whispered.  
Ace looked at him, glanced at the picture, and for a moment, his expression could have frozen hell over. It was frightening to see the change and if Cosmo hadn't known the magician as well as he did, he would have taken a step backwards. Magic arched over his fingers and he whirled around, the cape moving with a snap behind him.  
Shitshitshit!!  
Cosmo hesitated a moment, then slipped the picture into his jacket and followed his severely agitated friend. Ace was striding toward the Racer, shoes beating the concrete with hard clacking sounds, each step looking controlled and painful in one. His hands were clenched into fists and if looks could kill, the greenery would have withered and died. Rain beat down on him, the rain fall having increased while they had been inside. Cosmo had to run to keep up, and even without the ability to sense magic, he could feel the shift in the air around Ace.  
Magic was drawn into him, churning, called by the emotional upheaval, only held in check by his years of controlled training. Wounds had been torn open again and though Cosmo had been part of the events back then, an integral part because his kidnapping had been the trap to lure Ace in, he had never known Calen as Ace had known him.  
"Ace?" he now asked softly, wishing he could help.  
Ace exhaled explosively and suddenly a blast of magic tore out of him, shivering across the wet pavement, making the puddles evaporate. Steam rose around them and Cosmo was glad that at this time of the day, everything was deserted. Ace screwed his eyes shut, tremors racing through his body. The teenager carefully touched the older man, wincing as magic remnants tickled him.  
"You okay, dude?" he asked softly.  
"Getting there," Ace breathed. "Sorry. I.... this was a bit too much," he whispered.  
Cosmo grinned wryly. "Understand that completely, man." His own feelings were starting to mix now, his fear and anger at what had been done to him rising.  
Thomas was responsible. He had done this.  
Ace leaned against the car, unminding of the rain that had slicked his hair and was running down the cloak. He rubbed a hand over the wet skin. "We should leave," he said wearily.  
Cosmo could only agree. He jumped into the Racer, grimacing at the feeling of his damp pants. The canopy closed, keeping the increasingly dense rain away. Ace started the car and they drove off.  
"What now?" Cosmo asked.  
"Now we find Mr. Thomas."

* * *

Finding Brian Thomas proved to be harder than anticipated. He wasn't exactly the kind of person to have many hangouts or to frequent bars. He worked at the Theater, he came home, he stayed home, he went to visit Calen once a week. And that visit had already been paid for the current week. Nevertheless, Ace had asked Angel to patch him through to the mental home, asking if Brian had dropped by again. The answer had been a negative. No, he hadn't shown up.  
Ace’s gut was churning with the emotion. Anger, frustration... dread. Brian Thomas had something to do with James Calen. He wasn't just a well-meaning visitor to a permanently mentally ill patient. Calen had had no real friends, of that Ace was sure, so Brian's visits were a rather disturbing fact. Who was he? There was little doubt in Ace now that he also had something to do with the globe that had stolen Cosmo’s magic. Closer to none actually.  
His eyes flicked to the mirror and his apprentice. He had seen Cosmo’s own reaction to their discoveries, though the teen controlled them better. Just a little. But it was a blow to them both. A disturbing blow.  
"Watcha got?“ he asked suddenly, noticing for the first time the leather bound book Cosmo had in his possession.  
His partner looked up for a sec. "Not sure,“ Cosmo admitted. "Hang tight, and I’ll have this open in a sec.“ The teen proceeded to pull out his lock picking tools.  
"You should have left that, Cosmo. I don’t want to tip Brian off,“ Ace admonished, trying to tame the seething anger bubbling beneath the surface. He felt his magic gurgling with his raw emotions and really didn’t want to deal with it right now. For once, he was glad Cosmo couldn't feel his magic. This would be rather disturbing for him to sense.  
"I think it’s important, Ace,“ Cosmo argued, working at the little strap lock.  
"Why?“  
There was a muffled click and the flimsy leather strap fell back as Cosmo looked up with a slight smile.  
"It was dusty,“ Cosmo told him. "All the other books were clean and obviously well read, but this one was dusty and locked.“ The grin got a little larger. "Curiosity got the Cosmo.“  
Ace chuckled softly at his partner's attempt at humor. He had to admit, he was curious now as well. Cosmo was right, all the other books had been clean and dust free. Why wasn’t this one book? What made it so special?  
Cosmo opened the book carefully, a frown wrinkling his brow as he flipped through a few pages idly. Ace tried to keep one eye on the road and one on the mirror waiting, for the verdict  
"So, what is it?“ he asked lightly, but Cosmo was silent, the frown becoming all but a glare as the teen grew dangerously silent, jaw clenching. That wasn’t good.  
"Cosmo?“  
"It’s Calen’s journal,“ Cosmo hissed softly, turning another page. "It’s his personal journal.“  
Ace flinched and barely suppressed a snarl. "What does it say?“ he asked, voice tightly controlled. Cosmo read a little.  
"Damn, this bastard wrote down everything,“ Cosmo rumbled. "I mean, everything. Even his.. his plans to...“ Cosmo’s voice took on a definite tremble as the teen stared at the written words.  
Ace flashed his partner a worried glance. The magician wasn’t the only one shocked by this sudden turn of events. Cosmo had been in Calen’s hands personally during his attempt to kill Ace.  
"Anything about Brian?“  
Cosmo licked his lips and started flipping through pages. He stopped suddenly, frowned and leaned slightly closer to the book.  
"Yeah, Ace... yeah, there is,“ Cosmo rasped, then looked up at him, their eyes meeting in the mirror. "Brian Thomas was Calen’s apprentice.“

It was as if the world seemed to stop existing as Cosmo focused on no more then the little scrawled documentation before him.  
 _  
.... my apprentice, Brian Thomas....  
_  
He felt cold. Just... cold. It shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did, but still, to see it.. in writing.  
"Cosmo?“  
It took Ace two times calling his name to get his attention. When he realized the older man was talking to him, he flinched and looked up.  
Distantly, he noted they were stopped, Ace having pulled off the road and looking worriedly at him from the front seat. He wanted to say something reassuring. Wanted to just say something, but he couldn’t. He just.. couldn’t. That son of a...  
Cosmo gulped convulsively. Brian Thomas. There was no more doubt. But Calen’s apprentice? It was the last thing he’d ever expect. "I never sensed him, Ace,“ it came out in a whisper. "He never registered to my senses.“  
"He might not be a true magic user,“ Ace said simply.  
Cosmo let out a snort. "He’s Calen’s flippin' apprentice!“  
"What does it say about him in the book?“  
Cosmo looked down and gulped again. He tried to hold the massive tomb steady as he let his eyes scan. The earlier shock and nausea started to drift as curiosity took over.  
 _  
"May 1st. Have made the proper adjustments to the labyrinth. Brian has set up the monitoring system and assures me he can tie it in all smoothly to the computer control. We shall see, we shall see.“  
_  
"Go back, see if there is anything about how they met,“ Ace prompted.  
Cosmo nodded and flipped back, paused, flipped a few more pages. "Let’s see.... _December 12th. It has only been a week and I find myself less able to tolerate his presence. If Brian did not have his uses, I wouldn’t tolerated his presence in the least, much less have spoken to him that fateful day three weeks ago. But, it is for good of my cause I suffer. The best of causes and one I eagerly await completion.“_  
"So, Calen did not look favorably on Brian,“ Ace murmured.  
"Yeah, there’s more. _February 21st. Behind schedule. We are behind schedule because Brian’s first attempt has failed. I made it very clear to him such failures are not tolerated. No, not tolerated at all. It goes, without saying, that Brian has redoubled his efforts and assures me he shall not fail again. He'd better not.“_  
Cosmo looked up at Ace seeing his own anger and confusion in his friend's face. "If Calen was such a bastard to him, why did Brian hang out with the loser?“ he asked slowly.  
Ace pursed his lips thoughtfully.  
"From what we know, Brian is a loner, never really fitting in with anyone, fascinated with magic, incredibly talented in mechanics with no real direction or goal. From our interview with the head of personnel, it sounds like Brian has rather low self esteem and self confidence. It would make him the perfect target for Calen. Someone he could control, manipulate and put to good use. Calen believed in the viability of mixing magic and technology. With Brian’s genius he could see that idea come to fruition.“  
"Yeah, but why would Brian put up with this dude? He’s an ass, Ace!“ Cosmo blurted.  
Ace took a deep breath. "I would like to believe that perhaps Calen paid him well, or coerced him into it. But, from the regularity of his visits to Calen in the institute, I think Brian saw him as a friend.“  
Cosmo snorted. "Dude, James Calen was no one's friend!“  
"No,“ Ace agreed. "But what we read and what he told Brian could very well be two different things....“  
 _"...easily manipulated. A few kind words are like candy to the boy, his eagerness to please almost laughable. His intelligence is amazing, but he has no cunning, or drive, to back it up. Ahh... but that is where my guidance comes in. And he serves my purposes so well and so willingly. Laughable, it is laughable,“_ Cosmo read suddenly, having never really stopped scanning the pages as they talked.  
Suddenly, he wondered, what would have happened if he had met James Calen before Ace. Would their magics react as it had between him and the magician? Would have Calen seen his natural talent with computers as a resource worthy of exploitation? The cold shiver that danced over his skin reminded him of just how lucky he was to have his friend.  
"Man, and I didn’t think my opinion of James Calen could get any worse,“ he murmured.  
Ace smirked darkly at the sentiment. "Neither did I. Neither did I.“  
"So, what now? We still have no idea where he is."  
Ace nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "First I want to call Vega and get him to come over to the apartment, secure everything. We have the proof we need to get the police going on this."  
"You want them to have the journal?" Cosmo asked.  
"No!" Ace said sharply, then closed his eyes, inhaling slowly. "No," he repeated, much calmer. "Not the journal. But we have enough evidence to at least get Vega involved again."  
Vega would know how to tweak it that he got a search warrant, Ace knew. His old friend was quite resourceful when it came to that.  
"I also want to call the Theater, see if Brian appeared there, even if it is his day off."  
"Shot in the dark," Cosmo muttered.  
"Better than doing nothing."  
Ace eased the Racer back onto the street, ordering Angel to call the Theater. Much to his chagrin, Brian had not come to his work place. So the boy had disappeared for the day, but they had enough evidence now to know what they were facing.

* * *

Night had fallen once again and just like last night, Ace had trouble falling asleep. He sat at his desk, going through his daily personal mail, looking over the schedule for the next week, signing bills and agreements to various show-related things, but nothing tired him enough to let him fall asleep. The day's events kept going around in his head, making it difficult to relax, even if his mind was exhausting itself with the facts.  
The journal was lying on his desk and he had leafed through it, feeling sick of what he read there. All of Calen's life after Anna had been written down. His hopes, his dreams, his pathetic attempts to gather more magic, and his growing hatred of his former teacher and fellow students. Ace had not managed to read all of what the other magician had written down, especially out of the time when he had planned on his murder of Anna LeFrez. But he had reread whatever had been noted about Brian Thomas, and the sadness inside him rose again. Brian was so much like someone else he knew.  
Like Cosmo.  
Young, hurt, idealistic sometimes, wanting, needing, seeking someone to look up to...... Brian was an orphan, as much as Calen knew about him, and extremely self-conscious and shy. Calen had not tried to help the boy. He had exploited his talents, had promised him great things, only to use whatever Brian developed for his own purposes. And he had promised to teach him magic. But from Calen's own writing, Brian had not an ounce of magic talent in him, just the almost magical ability to fuse magic and technology.  
Ace sighed deeply. This could so easily have been Cosmo. The thought frightened him, making him wonder how many more boys and girls like them were out there, misguided, under the control of evil.  
Shaking his head, he rose from his desk, deciding that maybe some TV would tire him out. Tomorrow was another day and he needed all his wits about him. Brian would be at the Theater tomorrow, working his everyday job, and they would seek him out, confront him.  
Vega had promised to get back to him throughout the evening about the search warrant and the call had come in an hour earlier. His friend was hard at work convincing a judge that they needed the warrant in the morning, that they had enough to make this loophole tight, that the suspicion was based on more than theories. Ace had given Vega every detail that was not connected to an illegal breaking and entering, had woven a story about Brian Thomas and James Calen that didn't mention magic or being an apprentice, and for now all they could do was wait. If they were lucky, and Judge Morrone was in a good mood, they'd have the warrant tomorrow morning.  
And if they were really lucky, they'd have Brian Thomas under arrest as well.

* * *

Electro City was rather empty and quiet on a Sunday morning, most of the people still asleep at seven a.m. Usually, so was Ace, but he had had a bad evening to start with and little sleep after that. Cosmo had been awake quite early as well, much to Ace's surprise.  
"Can't sleep," he had simply said while nibbling at some toast.  
Ace accepted it. He couldn't sleep either, and for Cosmo it was even worse.  
Now they were weaving their way through early morning traffic, which was light and barely an obstacle, arriving at the Ring Theater faster than normal. Brian Thomas' work shift began at six, so it was a good guess that he would be here now. Ace had called ahead anyway and the guard on duty at the personnel entrance had confirmed that Brian had logged in with his key card, that he was here, and no, he hadn't seen him since.  
Ace had a show here tonight, but he wasn't required to appear till about two hours before the show. It wasn't unusual for him to come anyway, to rehearse, to go over details with the people in charge, or to drop off Cosmo because his assistant wanted to double-check settings and programs.  
Ace pulled into the parking lot behind the Theater and nodded at the guard, smiling.  
"Split up?" Cosmo asked quietly.  
Ace frowned uncertainly. He wasn't really happy about the thought of Cosmo running into Brian Thomas alone, but then again, his friend wouldn't do something stupid. Cosmo did have a temper, but also was too intelligent to be drawn into his fury like that. And there was the fact that they would find the guy faster if they split up.  
"You go in the front, I'll check backstage," Ace said. "Be careful."  
"Yes, Mom," Cosmo joked, though it fell kind of flat. His heart wasn't in it.  
Ace grimaced, then they separated.

***

He cowered in on corner of the security room, shaking. Cooper was coming here. He was coming... here. He had called, asked for him, and now he was on his way!  
How did he know?!  
Brian Thomas swallowed several times, sweat breaking out on his forehead.  
How? How? How?!  
Where had he gone wrong? Where had he left clues? The sphere? No, no, there were no fingerprints. Nothing of the sphere could be traced. He had made sure to send the package off from another mail office. There were no traces!  
Brian screwed his eyes shut, willing his body to stop trembling.  
Cooper was coming for him.  
He knew!  
Suddenly his eyes snapped open. He was coming here.... into the Theater... his territory.  
Why..... it couldn't be more perfect!  
A slow smile spread over his features. He still had a chance to take him out for good. Cooper didn't know that Brian had some of his toys here.  
Triumph lit up his features and he darted out of the security room, a place he had tapped into months before, a room where he had spent hours reviewing tapes recorded by the cameras.  
As he quickly walked to the backstage area to get what he needed, he caught sight of a problem. The guards. Sundays, since the Theater was closed until much later, there was a thin, spread-out security detail. One at the personnel entrance, one for backstage; the main entrance was closed and there wouldn't be any foot patrols. Who broke into a theater anyway? It wouldn't prove to be a real problem, Brian thought. None at all.....

* * *

The Ring Theater was silent. Except for the security guards, no one was in. The janitors would be busy in the sublevels and the cleaning personnel was already gone. Yesterday had been opera night. Ace had wanted to attend, had even had tickets, but he had given them to friends. With the whole situation, he didn't feel like appearing publicly anywhere except in his shows. The cleaning personnel always went to work right after the shows, getting the stage and seats ready for the next day. The janitors would then take care of the rest.  
Making his way to the backstage area, Ace scanned for anything suspicious. Everything seemed normal though, but he was wary. No chance he would let his guard down now.  
Suddenly, he saw something lying on the floor ahead. It was a body!  
Ace knelt and felt at the backstage guards throat, relieved to find a pulse. From the lump forming on the back of the man's head he was going to wake up with one doozy of a headache. But he would wake up.  
 Teeth clenched, Ace glared out into the dim backstage, the lighting at its lowest setting. When no show was going on, the theater became an eerie, macabre and dark place. A place with a would be killer running amongst its shadows. Cautiously, Ace rose and started away from the guard station.  
 "Cosmo?" he called softly into his com.  
 "Yeah?"  
 "Backstage. I just found a guard, unconscious. I think we're getting close," Ace reported softly, eyes moving constantly. Scanning and seeking.  
 "I'll be right there," Cosmo returned, anger mixed with dread, tingeing his voice.  
Ace nodded absently to himself. It was what he was feeling. Anger at what this young man had done to them both and dread for what he could still do. He froze at the soft sound. A... skittering?  
 Years of experience, and just plain good instincts, sent Ace lunging sideways as the chattering hiss exploded across the backstage. Small darts, driven by compressed air, zipped by him, embedding themselves in a tight pattern in the wall behind him.  
 Ace kept low, eyes focused on where the darts had come from. For a second he spared the ones in the wall a glance, distantly noting the odd discoloration along the barbed lengths.  
 Poisoned.  
 It seemed there was nothing Brian wasn't willing to try to seek his revenge. He felt a strange pang of pity for the young man. In a way, Brian was very much like Cosmo. Brilliant, misunderstood and easily influenced. How would it have been if Cosmo had been Calen's apprentice? Ace felt a cold shiver dance through him. That, was an awful thought. He drove it from his mind. Now was hardly the time to be musing. Not with a disturbed and emotionally driven apprentice seeking his head on a platter for his comatose master.  
 There was silence, then a soft scuttling, then silence again; straight ahead of him. Ace knew the backstage by heart. Even in the near dark he knew what was in front of him, which, honestly, wasn't much. This part of the backstage was mostly a temporary storage area for props being used in the most current shows. Ace had equipment here himself.  
 He leapt forward, tucking and rolling as the soft hiss of half a dozen darts shot free, peppering the floor where he had been as he came up behind another box. More little thumps struck the box's far side, but no more than that.  
 Okay, he had a triangulation. Given the angle the darts where imbedded into the floor, and the wall behind him, it put his shooter about four feet off the ground and center in the hall. Given the small size of the darts and the accuracy of their grouping his shooter had to be fairly close. No more than five yards, otherwise the darts would never hit their target with any degree of consistency.  
 Pulling the magic staff from his cape, Ace smiled grimly. While a small part of him argued he should just pull a relocate and bash his opponent into dust, another part told him not to: to hide his magic, to keep the ruse up just that much longer. He couldn't say he liked that idea. Magic was him, he was the magic, using it was as natural as breathing to the magician, refusing its power in a time of need was almost antithesis to everything he was. But there was logic as well. The longer Brian believed he was powerless, the better. It would give him the edge if the time arose and so far, the confidence that Ace was magically disarmed had made Brian careless.  
 Ace jumped and he heard distant, soft footsteps behind him. Cosmo. His partner had arrived and would make his way up the hall. Ace frowned. He was not disarmed, but Cosmo was. He had to clear the way now. Ace exploded from his hiding spot, the magic staff flying as the hiss of airborne darts tracked his every movement. Spinning madly, Ace trusted his aim as the small barbs buried into his cape even as he hit the ground with a grunt.  
 And his trust was well founded. There was the sound of impact, wood on metal, and a crash followed accented by the small popping of electronics blowing.  
Satisfied, Ace cautiously pulled the darts from his cape, studying one little projectile with barley in-check anger. This had gone on long enough. It was ending here. Tonight. One way or another.  
 Cautiously, Ace slipped forward, ears trained to the slightest noise as he moved stealthily along. It was with a sense of foreboding he found the small robot laying on the floor by his staff. It sparked, a sizable dent in its metal chassis, one clawed foot still twitching like a dying bug. His eyes never left the machine as he retrieved the staff. He had seen this creation before, though larger. In James Calen's mansion. And the damage they had done to his body had taken months to heal. He suddenly gave into a fit of fury and brought his foot crashing down on the small machine, feeling sick satisfaction as it collapsed beneath his heel.  
 Soooo... Brian had something to do with that as well. Given the boy's mechanical genius, it left little doubt in Ace. Brian had had some part in arming Calen and his cursed mansion. Magic gurgled and hissed around Ace and he imagined he felt it asking to be used.  
To seek revenge.  
 He shuddered.  
 No! Revenge was the last thing magic was meant for. Ace felt his stomach turn at the thought alone. And how much he wanted to give into it. To take revenge, for his suffering, for Cosmo's.  
 For Anna...  
 Ace gulped and forced himself to relax. Forced himself to clear his mind.  
 No. Brian hadn't killed Anna. Hadn't kidnapped Cosmo. That had been James' doing. Brian was not without blame, and had committed his own atrocities, but it was not with a cold and calculating heart. It was out of misguided sense of loyalty and skewed perception of right and wrong.  
 Feeling the magic retreat to an angry background murmur, Ace felt confident enough to move forward again. Yes, Brian would be brought to task for his crimes, that, Ace would make sure of, but no revenge.

* * *

 Cosmo pressed himself against the door, peeking into the hall that led to the backstage. He saw Richard slumped down by his desk, his overturned stool lying haphazardly beside. The anger that had never truly left him since finding out Thomas was the one who had cost him his magic and link began to turn and grow shaper, more focused. He liked Richard. The older man might appear to be a hard nosed pain in the ass, but he was really a big softy who knew the best jokes.  
 Slipping silently beside him, Cosmo assured himself that Richard was still alive, though he had little doubt Ace hadn't done the same.  
 "We'll get the bastard, Richard," Cosmo hissed. "Don't you worry."  
 He was about to move forward, down the hall, when he paused. Looked down with a frown wrinkling his brow. And studied Richard's gun. Then took it, checking to see if it was loaded. It was, and a grim smile crossed his face as he shoved it inside his jacket. Anything. He wasn't going to let anything happen to Ace. He couldn't. Ace wouldn't like it, him being armed, but without his magic to back up the magician, it was his only choice. And, in his heart of hearts, it was the choice Cosmo wanted as the anger started a slow burn in him. Brian was here. Somewhere. The little perp who had destroyed his life, had ripped away what was most precious to him, was trying to kill his partner and best friend, was the bastard born apprentice to James Calen, was here somewhere.  
 And Cosmo was going to find him.

* * *

 Ace paused at the stage's edge. He felt the hair along his neck bristle and trusted his instincts enough to know he was walking into what would undoubtedly be a deadly trap. But he had had enough of this cat and mouse game. They needed to find Brian now. Where he was and what he was armed with. The best way... well.. easiest way, was to draw him out.  
 "Cosmo, you there buddy?"  
 "Yeah bro, where are ya?" Cosmo's voice came through in a worried whisper.  
 "At the stage."  
 "Hang tight, I'm right on your tail."  
 "No, wait... I need you to lock down all the doors to the theater proper."  
 "Ace, that won't shut down the emergency exits."  
 "I know, but we need to keep Brian in here and that will improve our chances. Once you get the doors shut, go to the emergency exit closest to the light gantry ladder. My money is that he's taken to the high ground," Ace explained softly, eyes darting over what he could see of the stage. What he saw was empty, somewhat eerie in the dim theaters night lighting.  
 "What are you going to do?" Cosmo demanded warily.  
Ace smiled darkly. "I'm going to draw him out."  
 "Like hell!" Even though it was a whisper, Ace heard the desperation behind those two words.  
 "I'll be okay, Cosmo. I'll use my magic now. There's no reason to keep up this charade," he said soothingly, knowing just how worked up Cosmo was. "You have to be strong for me, Cosmo."  
 The silence following was deafening and Ace knew he had struck a nerve.  
 "I'm not mocking you, Cosmo, or trying to shame you," Ace explained softly. "We're partners, we trust each other; trust me to be okay so I can trust you to be okay."  
 There was another silence, then a deep sigh through the com.  
 "Okay. I can do it, Ace," Cosmo said slowly.  
Ace felt a hint of pride at the conviction that came through and smiled faintly. "I know you can, Cosmo," he assured.  
 "I'm on the doors, Ace," Cosmo declared, then in a softer voice. "Be careful."  
 "I will, Cosmo, I will."  
With that he let his arm dropped and forced himself to take a deep breath and do nothing more than count the passing seconds, to give Cosmo the time he needed to shut what doors he could. Then, Ace Cooper did what he had done a thousand times before.  
He stepped out on stage.  
And ran for his life as a dozen lancing beams of light sluiced down on the stage, leaving little burning pits in their wake. It was an almost unconscious reaction as his hand flew up, the sharp edged cards spreading out in a deadly pattern up at the light rigging. There was a crack and a brief explosion of light from the catwalk above and, in that flash of illumination, Ace caught sight of movement. He didn't hesitate a second longer to find out what Brian's next trick might be. This was ending now.  
 "Brian, give yourself up! We know who you are and everything you've tried to do and why," he called out. It was probably a futile attempt of negotiation, but Ace had to offer it.  
Silence was his answer. Almost  
 Ace felt a shiver dance up his spine at the soft scuffling. What now? How many of those damn toys did Brian have?  
 "Ace, doors are shut," Cosmo's voice exploded over his com.  
Ace flinched, the teen's unexpected communication capturing his attention for a fatal second. He gasped as he was suddenly propelled against the stage, a stinging pain exploding across his chest, tearing a cry from him.  
 Chest throbbing, Ace rolled forward as two more shots slammed into the floor. Plastic slugs, propelled more than likely by compressed air like the darts. Prototypes. Brian was more than likely using working prototypes against him. As before, the shots came from above. It was what had probably saved him from having every rib broken, though it felt like he had just taken a sledge hammer to the chest. The distance was taking some of the kick out of the shots, turning them from fatal to only damaging.  
 But damaging was bad enough.  
 "Magic Force, reveal the power within!"  
The light exploded around him and Ace savored it. Being forced to refrain from the use of his magic had been an absolute misery upon the other trials he had been forced to endure these last days. Its wild caress was a welcome friend as his fist slammed against his chest bringing to life the signet that represented him.  
 Ace didn't bother to dodge as he heard another salvo loosed his way. He twisted, cape whipping about him as the world exploded into glittering dust. The catwalk for the light rig swayed slightly as he exploded back into existence in the dark rafters of the Ring Theater. There was an audible gasp as Brian spun about, control pad in hand. For a moment the young man did nothing but stare at the magician's sudden appearance on his roost. For a moment, Ace was stunned by the simple normalness of the young man. Brian was everything you didn't expect in a would-be killer. Frantically, he started working the keyboard, Ace catching sight of a small robot halfway between him and Calen's would-be apprentice. It jerked and moved sluggishly as he furiously worked the portable controls.  
 Not the most successful prototype, Ace mused distantly, watching its unsteady movements. Brian had been caught off guard by their sudden pursuit and it showed in the haphazard defense the young man had called up against them.  
 "Stop this now, Brian!" Ace ordered with no uncertainty in his voice.  
Brian flinched, seemed to think about it, then returned to his keyboard. With a snarl of irritation Ace shifted, widened his stance and drew in a deep breath as he lifted and brought his hands before him.  
Energy gathered for half a second in his palms and exploded out in a sharp rush of power that lanced at the slothful robot. The explosion cracked amongst the rigging as the magical energies tore the little mechanical to smithereens, sending broken parts raining to the ground below.  
Stunned, Brian watched the scattering debris fall. "No..." he whispered, shaking his head. "No...."  
 Ace took a step forward and Brian jerked, looked at him in a panic, the control pad falling from his hands.  
 "It's not fair," he murmured. "It should have worked. It should have worked!"  
 Brian turn and ran down the catwalk, the metal structure bouncing wildly under his feet.  
 "Brian!" Ace shouted, giving pursuit.  
Not that there was far to go up here as Brian found out, reaching the riggings end, colliding into the safety rail there. He stared at a lost over the dark precipice, then spun back on Ace.  
"It's over, Brian," Ace told him simply.  
Brian faced him, tried to look brave but Ace saw the hint of fear in his wide eyes. "Go ahead. Go ahead and kill me," he snarled.  
Ace just shook his head. "No, Brian. Revenge is never the way."  
 "Liar! I've seen what you did to James," Brian sneered.  
Ace flinched at the memory. Yes, he had hurt Calen. More than he ever imagined himself capable of doing. Not intentionally, but the fight had been to the death and Ace simply had won by fluke.  
 A painful.... deadly fluke.  
 "Calen brought on his own fate, Brian," Ace sighed softly. "He abused his abilities and paid for that transgression in the end. He brought on his own misery."  
 "Liar!!" Brian wailed. "You were just jealous of him!"  
 "Was I? It was he who hunted me down. He who sought my death. Does that sound like the actions of a man defending himself, or those of an egotistical psychopath out to prove his own superiority?"  
 "Don't you dare talk about him that way!"  
 Ace was silent for a moment, watching the blind loyalty playing across the young man's face. But there was more than trust and indignation in that desperate continence. There was a deep sort of truth, fighting to get free.  
 "James Calen thought of only himself. No one else. Not you, not anybody. He was the center of his world. Then and always."  
 "Liar!" It was a sad wail.  
 "Brian.. no!"  
 Ace gasped as the young man leapt up on the rail, pushed off and went sailing into the dim theater heights. In a heartbeat he saw the Brian's target. Guide lines for the riggings, tied off to the walls. If he reached them he could slid down to the floor below.  
If.  
Ace watched as Brian reached out for the ropes, hand yearning for their support. It seemed he would reach them, fingers outstretched. Then gravity took over.  
There was a coarse cry of surprise as Brian started to tumble to the hard floor below. There was no hesitation in Ace as his hands rose, swept out and seemed to catch an invisible weight. Below, Brian's descent stopped, his body floating. Ace caught sight of his shock as he stared up at him, realization flashing through his face as he found himself safely cradled in Ace's magic.  
 Gently, Ace lowered Brian, keeping him safe till the young man's feet touched the ground. Then he let his arms drop and watched, Brian staring up at him. It seemed for a moment his young assailant could not decide what to do. Run.. or admit defeat.  
In the end, he ran, and Ace sighed in annoyance. What was it going to take to get Brian to surrender? He didn't want to hurt the boy, he really didn't. But he sure as hell wasn't going to let him waltz out of here either. Tired and sore, Ace leapt, caught the edges of his cape and parasailed down to the floor below in pursuit.

* * *

 Cosmo had nearly died right there and then when Ace had been knocked back on the stage, the magician's cry reaching even him at the doorway he'd just entered. He was already moving when Ace got unsteadily to his feet. The relief that his partner was alive had nearly been overpowering as Ace summoned the full magic force to him.  
Unconsciously, Cosmo felt his mind reach out to form the shield to protect himself, only then remembering the futility of the action. That had cut him-- cut him to the quick just how wrong it all was when he felt nothing of the magic force's wild power as Ace became the Magician. Then he was gone in a swirl of his cape and explosion of glittering dust as more shots hit the stage.  
 Cosmo's eyes went up to the riggings, that being where the shots came from. Distantly, he heard Ace shout and it was followed by another explosion as metallic debris rained down, pinging off the stage.  
Grimly, Cosmo smiled. Teach the bastard.  
He held his breath as there was more shouting above. There was nothing he could do at the moment and it was driving him nuts. Muscles twitched with the mad desire to do something! Anything to get this scummy little perp!  
 Eternity seemed to pass and Cosmo briefly wondered if Ace had gotten him. Then there was a blur of movement and the teen's eyes shot wide as he caught sight of Brian leaping out to the guide lines.  
 And missing.  
 He felt a strange sense of satisfaction as the young man fell with a cry. But his satisfaction was cut short as Brian was suddenly caught in a levitation and carefully lowered to the floor below.  
 Fury seared through him. Not only at Brian's physical appearance before him, but the cruel reminder of the forces he was no longer sensitive to as Ace worked his magic.  
 Nothing. He felt nothing! It wasn't fair!!  
 For a moment, Brian stood there shakily, looking up. Cosmo had to admit, it almost looked like he was going to give up. But the moment passed, fear flitted across the young man's face and he made a run for a door.  
Cosmo snarled. Damn! That was an emergency exit. One of the doors he couldn't seal and on the other side of the theater. But it didn't lead directly into the main hall, it led to a side entrance that had only one way out.  
The gun that he had tucked in his jacket was in his hand without conscious thought. With a smile that held no humor, Cosmo spun about and started through the halls of the Ring Theater to cut off Brian's escape.

* * *

 Brian was running rather blindly, mind swirling. He had no idea what to do know. He had run out of options.  
He had failed.  
Again.  
That, and he was trying to sort out what had just happened. Cooper could have let him plummet to his death. It would have been the easiest way for the magician to get him out of his hair. There would be no questions. No recriminations.  
 Yet..  
 Cooper had saved him.  
 Why? To prolong his agony? To drag out the hunt?  
 Strangely, Brian didn't think so.  
 He let out a frustrated snarl as he burst into a small side hall. For a moment he turned, trying to get his bearings, then headed toward the hall that would lead to the lobby. It was just too confusing right now. He had to retreat, think about what had happened and what to do next.  
 Just as he came out of the small access hall Brian cried out as he was physically tackled to the ground. His head smacked against the hard tiled floor and only distantly was he aware of being jerked up as something cold was shoved against his temple.  
 "You're not going anywhere, asshole!"

* * *

Ace slid into the access hall and never let up his all out run till he reached the adjoining hall. There he came skidding to a halt.  
"Cosmo..."  
Ace felt the blood rush from his face at the sight of his partner. Cosmo had a brutal grip on Brian's hair, pulling the young man back with a pistol shoved against his temple.  
"We're just talking, Ace," Cosmo snarled, finger tensing on the trigger.  
"Cosmo, put the gun down," Ace urged softly, warily approaching.  
Brian's eyes darted to him, then up toward Cosmo. It was hard to read what was going on in the former apprentice's eyes. Defiance, uncertainty... terror.  
 "Just do it. Just end this farce and strike me down," Brain hissed with wavering bravado. "Like you did my master."  
 Cosmo laughed coarsely. "Master? Calen? That guy hated your guts."  
"Liar!"  
"Cosmo."  
"Shut up, Ace!"  
Cosmo leaned down, lips against Brian's ears. "You had his journal all this time. Never read it once, did you? Why is that?"  
 "It.. it was his.. he..." Brian stammered.  
 "Cause you knew what was in there. Cause you knew you would find the truth in his own handwriting," Cosmo went on tauntingly. "How he loathed your very existence. How you were only useful for your mechanical skills. How he thought you beneath his notice, your only redeeming feature being how you could blend magic and technology."  
 Brian sobbed. "Liar."  
 "Huh. Right! Want me to recite some passages? I read the whole damn thing. Face facts, Brian, James Calen was a bastard son of a bitch and he hated your guts!"  
"Cosmo, enough of this!" Ace moved forward, but Cosmo snarled at him, jerking back and taking Brian with him.  
 "Stay out of this, Ace," he warned softly.  
 "No, Cosmo. I will not allow this."  
 "Stay out of this!"  
 "I... I... He was my friend," Brian went on. "He had to like me."  
 "Had to? Try tolerated your existence. He used you, dude. And you let yourself be used. Believe whatever you like, but Calen was no one's friend," Cosmo laughed cruelly.  
 "He... he...," Brain stammered. "He was all I had."  
 "Pretty pathetic then, bud." Cosmo snapped. "How's this sound? June 6th. Well... the brat's done it again. Loath as I am to admit it, he has his uses. Actually managed to bring the computer online. Not quite like I wanted it. The insufferable fool still keeps trying to give it a "personality." But only a little longer. A little longer and I will rid myself of Cooper and have no need for that sniffling excuse of an apprentice."  
 Cosmo leaned a little closer.  
 "Yeah, he liked you a whole lot. Well enough to be planning to get rid of you the moment he offed Ace. Some loving friend you picked."  
Brian was a trembling mess, lower lip quivering at the raw facts Cosmo presented. Ace saw the denial warring with the truth the young man had always known, but couldn't accept. Didn't want to accept, given his lonely existence.  
"I deserve to die," Brian whispered at last. "It would hurt less if you killed me."  
"Oh man, I am so tempted," Cosmo snarled, Ace paling at the raw hatred plainly visible in his young friend's face. He felt his gut clench at the sight. Cosmo had a temper, but he had moved beyond anger to all out rage. He had to stop this now.  
"Cosmo," Ace said softly, gently, putting his fear into his voice. Feverish gray eyes flickered up to him, then back down, fury in their depths.  
"He's no better than Calen, Ace. No better," Cosmo rumbled, the gun quivering in his grip.  
"Don't kill him," Ace ordered firmly. Cosmo shook his head, an odd smile coming to his lips.  
"Not yet I won't. Not till he tells me,"  
"Tell... tell you what?" Brian stammered uncertainly.  
"You're little globe. How it works," Cosmo all but growled.  
Brian blinked and shook his head. "It didn't work. He still has his magic."  
"How does it work?!"  
Brian cried out as the gun drilled into his temple.  
"Cosmo!"  
Enough was enough! But Ace did not leap forward. Instead, he walked, slowly, calmly and laid a hand on Cosmo's gun arm. The teen looked at him, pain, hurt, fear, anger all burning in his face.  
"No, Cosmo. This is not the way. This is not your way," Ace told him calmly.  
"Ace..."  
"Put the gun down, Cosmo. For me."  
"But he.."  
"I know what he did. Don't let him, or Calen, bring you down to their level." Ace felt lightheaded with the furious pounding of his pulse in his veins as he waited. The trigger fingered tightened, released and tightened.  
"No!" it was an animalistic snarl. Then Cosmo addressed Brian. "Not till I get my answers."  
"We will get your answers, Cosmo. Brian will talk to us."  
"Like hell! He's Calen's little alter boy. You think he'll talk to us? Really?" Cosmo snapped in disgust. "The guy is scum, Ace. Be doing the world a favor spreading his brains all over."  
Brian shuddered and closed his eyes, trembling.  
"Look at him, Cosmo," Ace ordered softly.  
Cosmo frowned and made a rude face. "Why should I?"  
"Look at him," Ace repeated simply. Cosmo hesitated, watched Ace with misgiving, then slowly his eyes dropped down to the trembling young man beneath his hand. Seemed to lock on with morbid fascination  
"All he wanted was someone to be his friend. Does that sound familiar? He just wanted someone to care. He just had the misfortune of finding Calen. Look at him, Cosmo, and tell me he isn't suffering, won't suffer for what he's done."  
Cosmo shuddered, gaze wavering. Ace was silent as he saw his partner swallow reflexively.  
"Ace.. I need the answers," Cosmo argued in a small voice. He looked back at him. "I need them..."  
Ace nodded. He knew just how desperately Cosmo needed his magic back, and understood the lengths he would go, even if it cost him everything he believed in, even if it meant selling his very soul.  
"And we'll get them. But not like this, Cosmo. Revenge is never the right way,"  
"I... I'll tell you... but it didn't work.. did it?" Brian looked up at Cosmo, realization dawning in him. "You?"  
Cosmo tightened his grip and pressed the gun deeper. "Just tell me," he hissed.  
Ace's heart skipped a beat. Brian had figured it out. Right now that could be a very bad thing.  
"It did work..." he mumbled, a slump coming to his shoulder. "It does hurt..."  
Cosmo's hand smacked against the back of Brian's head brutally, Ace flinching at the sudden attack as Cosmo caught Brian's hair again, pulling his head back. He felt his heart breaking at how close Cosmo was to losing everything. Dear god, he had to stop him now!  
"Didn't ask you to analyze anything, just tell me how it works!" Cosmo screamed in the man's ear.  
Brian curled up in himself, tried to, but Cosmo's grip on his hair was too strong. He looked up pitifully to the enraged teen.  
"I'm sorry."  
That, Cosmo did not expect, and Ace saw him physically flinch back. The unexpected apology seemed to suddenly diffuse some of the overpowering anger in his apprentice.  
"I didn't mean to hurt you. I wanted... I wanted to hurt Cooper....." Brian stammered.  
"Like I hurt you?" Ace asked, kneeling before the young man.  
Brian couldn't look at him, but nodded. "You took him away from me..." Brian murmured. "But I never really had him, did I?"  
Ace felt incredible pity as Brian looked at him for the answers. "No. I'm sorry, but Cosmo is telling the truth. Calen only used you for you technical skills."  
 Brian shuddered and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I.... I.. just wanted..." He gave up miserably.  
Ace knew what he had wanted. Someone to care for him. Just like Cosmo had at one time. Brian just had the misfortune of finding James Calen.  
He looked up at his friend and caught and held Cosmo's gaze. The teen was trembling, the deep seated anger warring with his own natural compassion. Slowly, Ace touched his arm, let his hand slid down Cosmo's wrist and to the gun. He didn't put up any resistance as Ace gently eased it from his fingers. Cosmo looked at him, choked back his own sob and took a step back, releasing Brian. The young man didn't move, just sat there and stared, his world crashing around him.  
Ace simply tossed the gun aside and stood, arms going out and about his partner. Cosmo fought the embrace even as the older man enveloped him.  
"I.. I need to know, Ace," Cosmo choked. "Is there a cure?"  
Ace nodded, looking down on him compassionately. "I will keep my promise, Cosmo. I will find a cure to this," he promised softly. "But I won't let you kill to get it. I won't let you damn yourself to get the answer." Then he tightened his hold. "Trust me."  
 Cosmo took a shuddering breath and relented, his arms coming tentatively around the magician, slumping against him weakly as he returned the hug. "I'm sorry, Ace. Sorry I lost it," he murmured remorsefully against his shoulder.  
Ace hushed him gently. "I understand, Cosmo. It's okay." He released the teen and held him at arm's length. "I do understand."  
"I'm sorry," Brian mumbled. They turned to where the young man was watching them, wretched and pathetic looking. "I never meant to hurt anyone else. I'm sorry."  
Ace turned, cautiously keeping Cosmo behind him. His younger partner might be okay at the moment, but Ace did not want to push his luck.  
"Brian, how do you undo the damage the sphere caused?" he asked simply.  
Brian swallowed and looked at his hands. "You don't..."  
"No!!!"  
"Cosmo!" Ace spun and caught him, latched on and held him tight.  
"Wait.. wait...!" Brian gasped as Cosmo stared at him horror struck. "You can't undo it, but the effect isn't permanent," he went on hastily. "It.... the block should wear off. That's why I moved so fast. I.. I didn't know how long it would last, but it should wear off."  
"You hear that, Cosmo?" Ace whispered urgently, feeling the young man's heart beat heavily in his chest. Cosmo was hyper-ventilating, looking ready to faint, the first shock barely easing off enough for Brian's hasty explanation to seep through.  
"Your magic will come back. It will..." Ace went on, repeating the fact as Cosmo slumped against him, weak with the emotional upheaval. "It will..."  
"Will it?" Cosmo asked in a small voice, almost afraid to believe.  
"Yes," Brian declared. "I don't know how many days it will take. The sphere was a prototype. I only had one stone to use so it's never actually been tried before. But, according to all my research, the block should dissipate as the magical energy that generated it leaves your system. I couldn't be sure of the exact amount of time since every mage dissipates magic at a different rate. Given how powerful you are, Mr. Cooper, I suspected it would only be days till you overcame the block. I.. I never accounted for you having an apprentice." He swallowed and his eyes dropped down as he laughed depreciatively "Calen was right. I could never get anything right."  
Ace sighed at the sad sight, but could offer no comfort; his own apprentice needed him right now, needed his strength a little longer. Now that everything was in the open, Ace felt a tremendous relief wash through him, followed by an equally tremendous weakness. The hell they had survived the last several days wearing his own reserves down.  
"Cosmo?" He urged the teen to meet his eyes. "You okay?"  
A slow nod was his answer. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks, bro." The hand on his arm tightened and Ace saw his own physical and emotional exhaustion mirrored in his friend.  
With a reassuring smile, Ace slowly released Cosmo and waited as the young man managed to keep standing on his own two feet, though he swayed.  
"What will you do with me?" Brian asked in a timid voice.  
"Good question." Ace knelt down. "Contrary to what you've been told, I'm not a man who seeks revenge. You will have to face up to what you did, Brian. What you did to Cosmo and me, but it will be up to the courts to decide your fate."  
Brian nodded slowly, then let out a little snort. "A lie... Everything he told me was a lie," he muttered, swallowed and wrung his hands together. "A lie.  
"I'm sorry, Brian."  
"Why?"  
"That he did lie to you, and so many other people. Sorry that you too, were a victim."  
Brian shrugged. "I let myself be one."  
Ace could only nod. Brian wasn't evil, but extremely messed up and misguided. Quietly, he called in Vega. It was time to let the police take over and clean this mess up. Brian was not even aware as he stood up and retreated to Cosmo. The young inventor seemed to have drawn in to himself, as if trying to escape the nightmare of his own making.  
 Ace could only wish him luck.

* * *

It was over.  
Most of it anyway.  
Ace sat in the living room, feet up on the couch table, staring at the ceiling through half-closed eyes. As much as he wanted to relax, his body and mind still refused to. He had performed the shows of the last two days like on automatic, as charming as always, but still more or less automatic. Cosmo had been backstage, handling the controls, but he had been missing his usual enthusiasm as well. They had come home right after that, declining to go out for a drink, and Cosmo had disappeared into his room without a word. Ace didn't blame him. This was getting harder and harder for him, especially since Brian had told them that the effects would wear off after a while.  
But what was 'after a while'? How many hours, day, weeks.... months? Ace shuddered to think about having his magic taken away from him ever. What if this took weeks? Cosmo would slowly go off the deep end. Right now he was managing okay, but watching Ace do his magic and being unable to feel it, to grasp it, it was taking its toll. For all his protests that he had never wanted it, now he was suddenly shown what it meant to be without. It was a terrible way to suddenly become appreciative of what had been before.  
Mona had called once, but he had been brief and almost dismissive, regretting his tone of voice immediately. He had to call and explain the situation to her. He owed her that much.  
"Anyone in there?" a voice suddenly asked and Ace snapped out of his reverie.  
Vega stood before him, smiling, and Ace found himself answering the smile, though less enthusiastic than normal. "Hey, Vega."  
The cop sat down, placing a thick collection of folders and a rather large package onto the table. "I thought I'd drop by to let you in on what's happening at the moment."  
Ace sat up, taking his feet off the table. Suddenly he was all ears. Vega made himself comfortable and tossed him a folder. It was of medium size, with lots of computer printed paper, some black-and-white pictures, as well as some handwritten notes.  
"The official report."  
Ace read over the first few pages. He knew police reports inside out, knew where to look on the complicated and confusing forms, and he found that everything had been put down rather clinically. Brian Thomas was accused of several severe deeds, most of them ranging around bodily attack, then there was thievery, possession of unlicensed weapons and some more. Ace looked up.  
"Unlicensed weapons?" he asked.  
Vega shrugged. "Just making sure we have everything down. And what else would you call those attack robots? This report draws a watertight picture, so in case he gets a good lawyer, he won't slip through because of an error on our part. If he manages to somehow get out of the severe bodily harm accusations, we can always throw the rest at him."  
Ace understood. He read on. Brian's apartment had been searched top to bottom and everything had been confiscated. They had secured all his toys and he books, had found more plans for even deadlier machines, as well as simple children toys, in one of the drawers underneath assorted tools. Ace scanned over the list of confiscated things. Someone had made the effort to list every single book. He frowned.  
Vega, apparently aware of what he was currently studying, smiled grimly. "Whatever binds Brian to magic, the real stuff, is not on this list, Ace."  
"Come again?"  
Vega indicated the box. "Little present from an unknown friend." He smiled again. "I know you don't want suspicions to bubble up to the surface, and I know Brian won't spill anything about real magic, unless he wants to end up in the loony bin. This little package contains what links magic and Brian."  
Ace stared at his friend. "You stole it?"  
The older man looked mock shocked. "Stole? Ace, please, I'm a police officer. I removed evidence, labeled it, filed it, but the file was lost somehow. I gave it to the police pound, as is the proper procedure, and it was archived for later." A sly grin appeared on his lips.  
"But since there is no official list, no one will ever search for the box," Ace continued slowly.  
"And if they do, it will take them years to find out that it was lost in the bureaucracy because someone mislabeled it." Vega shrugged. "We don't need it for the court anyway."  
"Vega.... I .... " Ace didn't know what to say. What his friend had just told him he had done.... there were no word of thanks enough for it. Vega was effectively covering Ace's tracks.  
Vega waved it off. "Forget it. I have. Take the box and do whatever you want with it."  
Ace nodded, smiling, trying to relay his thanks. He quickly scanned the rest of the report, ignoring most of the pictures, that showed the apartment and Brian himself. The official reason for Brian's attack was revenge for Ace's involvement in hospitalizing James Calen. Brian, a student of Calen, had targeted Ace Cooper, but his first attempts injured Cosmo. Following up on his unsuccessful attempt, he was finally caught when he had set up another trap at the Ring Theater. Charges would be pressed, but a mental evaluation of Brian Thomas was needed because of his unstable mind. He was currently held in the psychiatric high security ward.  
Finally he closed the folder and placed it on the stack. "What else did you bring?"  
Vega smiled. "All the boring details about the ongoing investigations. Nothing you have to concern yourself with. Just take this box somewhere safe."  
Ace reached out, touched the magic and drew it to him, then concentrated on the box. It disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles. Vega raised an eyebrow, then smiled. Ace didn't say anything.  
"How is Cosmo?" the cop finally asked.  
"Not getting better, not getting much worse," was the quiet answer. "Brian said the effects would wear off, but he didn't say when. Cosmo is yearning for that day, but we don't know if it will be tomorrow or next week."  
"Or next month," Vega said softly, nodding.  
Ace sighed deeply. "I pray it won't be the case. I truly pray."  
Vega scratched his beard. "Are you up for a coffee?" he asked.  
Ace sighed. "Double, extra strong, and I'm with you."  
His friend laughed. "The sort where the spoon melts, right?"  
He chuckled. "Something like it." Ace got off the comfy chair and stretched, feeling hardened muscles protest. "Angel?" he asked.  
"Yes, Ace?" the computer replied, a diamond-shaped likeness of the AI forming not far away from the magician.  
"Is Cosmo awake?"  
Usually, Ace didn't check on Cosmo through Angel, but if his friend was sleeping, then he didn't want to disturb him.  
"One moment, Ace." Angel flickered once, then she said, "Yes, he is asleep."  
"Tell him Vega and I have gone out for a coffee, Angel," Ace instructed.  
"As you wish."  
Both men left the Magic Express and took Vega's car for a change, since Ace felt too tired to drive and Vega thought it would be less dangerous to all the other drivers if he was at the steering wheel.

* * *

Cosmo wandered out of the shower feeling pretty much as he had the last few days.  
Miserable.  
Zina was at his side in an instant and he smiled faintly, hunting up some clean clothes. He managed a pair of old jeans and a purple shirt, dragging them on without thought. He'd slept last night without nightmares but waking as always was a bad dream in itself. Cold... cold where there should have been warmth. Silence where there should have been the soft hiss of magic. And loneliness where there should have been a presence that was as familiar as his own face.  
Time. It was all a matter of time now. He clung to that fact. Clung to it like a drowning man at sea. Brian had sworn the block would fade as the magic that had created it dissipated from his system. But not fast enough. No way fast enough!  
Heaving a tired sigh, Cosmo trudged out into the hall. He'd managed to sleep.. mostly, fitfully, but the nightmares had not come. Perhaps hope was holding them at bay. It was all he had right now.  
Hope.  
Man... How many times had he wished he could be rid of his magic? How many times and now...  
'Be careful what you wish for...' he mused darkly  
Should get something to eat. It was a rogue thought. He had little appetite. If Ace didn't make him eat, it was unlikely he would. Thinking of his partner made Cosmo stop and frown.  
"Angel, where is Ace?"  
"He went out with Lt. Vega for coffee forty one minutes ago, Cosmo."  
Cosmo didn't quite control the flinch. Ace had left. He was alone.  
No.  
No! He wouldn't freak. The world wasn't ending, even if it felt like it to him. The magician had more than earned the respite. Taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly, Cosmo forced himself into a form of calm.  
No.  
Patient, he just had to patient. He had to stand on his own now. Soon... the magic would come back. Soon, he hoped.  
He hoped.  
Zina gave him an encouraging murph, head butting him toward the lift. Demanding his full attention.  
"Okay, okay. I get the hint. Someone wants their breakfast," he chuckled as the cat looked critically at him.  
"Come o..." Cosmo gasped and doubled over. He felt.. something, shoot through him. Zina gave a low meow as Cosmo stumbled, hand rising to his chest as another stab tore through him. He wasn't even aware of floundering into the wall, resting there, hand on his chest. He felt his heartbeat, faster than it should be, beneath his palm. Wondered what was hitting him. Exhaustion? Probably, but could it...? Could it be?  
 'Please, please let it be coming back,' he prayed silently, waiting.  
At first, there was nothing else-- then another stab that elicited a cry from him as he was momentarily overwhelmed. Zina definitely wasn't happy as he slid hard to the floor, but Cosmo didn't care. He was feeling... something.  
 'pleasepleaseplease...'  
 Another bolt of power went through Cosmo and he cried out. It hurt, and it didn't. Truth was, he didn't care either way.  
He *felt* something.

 "Cosmo?" Ace appeared, frowning as the teen looked up. The young man was on the floor, wedged against the wall, smiling oddly and holding a hand to his chest. Then he gasped and doubled over.  
 "Cosmo!" He knelt beside him, fearing the worst as a tear trickled over Cosmo's face. The magician clutched at the trembling shoulders and urged the young man upright, worried sick. But Cosmo smiled, smiled with the profoundest relief.  
 "I feel it, Ace," he gasped, wincing as another tremor tore at him. "Feel it..."  
 Ace gasped, then looked anxiously. "Your magic?!"  
 A shaky nod. A hand thumped against his chest. "Warm," Cosmo declared weakly. "Warm."  
 Ace couldn't help but smile. Warm. The term Cosmo always used to describe his partner's living presence. The touch to his chest, the gesture that went with that description. A strangled cry made him jerk and Ace held on as the teen shivered.  
 "Cosmo? What's wrong?"  
 Cosmo, breathing labored, swallowed heavily. "Hurts. Coming back in little stabs. Sort of like when your arm falls asleep," he confessed, then grinned. "Don't care! I don't care. It's coming back, Ace. It's coming.. urk!"  
 "Easy there," Ace hushed him as Cosmo doubled over again. He held on as tremors racked the teen. Held on tight even while he grinned. "What else do you feel?"  
 "Nothing yet. All kind of fuzzy, but man... " Cosmo looked at him. Looked at him with a life the gray eyes had been sorely lacking. "It's coming back!"  
 Ace hugged him and held on through another tremor. "Come on." He pulled his young friend up. "Might as well be comfortable if you get to go through the pins and needles of your magic coming back," Ace murmured happily, leading Cosmo to the living room couch.

 "Man, don't care how it feels now, as long as it comes back," Cosmo chuckled, flopping down. He looked at Ace and smiled. The emotions weren't there, not yet, but the warmth was and it made all the difference. All the difference in the world.  
 He rested, the stabbing pains seeming to cease for now. He worried slightly about that. But, it was a start. A start.  
 "Think... think they've stopped," he explained, feeling tired despite the night's sleep he had just had. But man, oh man. He couldn't help but grin.  
 "Well.. how about you stay here for now?" Ace suggested, trying not to look worried that all of his senses hadn't returned. "Just in case."  
 Cosmo nodded and sighed, reveling in the warmth, hand rubbing at his chest without thought. "Here's just fine, dude. Here's just fin..." He wheezed, twisting, folding in on himself a hot wave seem to lance through as another stab hit him "Or.. maybe it's not over," he laughed.

 Ace wasn't sure whether to laugh with him or not. Cosmo's magic was returning, not easily, that was apparent, but returning. He did offer a reassuring smile as another tremor hit his partner, then another.  
 "Oh man.." Cosmo gasped, hands tightening into fists.  
 "Cosmo?" The teen looked suddenly pale, body stiffening.  
 "Oh God, Ace," it was a choked whisper as Cosmo sucked in a hard breath.  
 "Cosmo!" Ace cried as Cosmo screamed, arching up. Ace gasped as he felt the magic force come to life, fairly roar around the young man as, for the first time in so many days, the magic responded to the fledgling magician.  
 Ace grabbed Cosmo, held on tight as his body spasmed hard. Gasping breath the only sound as a last, violent seizure hit the teen, leaving he slumped weakly into Ace's embrace.

 "Oh man... now that's a rush," Cosmo mumbled weakly, looking up at Ace.  
 Worry, definite worry, tinted with fear and joy. Cosmo laughed. He felt it all now. All of it! All of it!!! The magic force was a whisper of power around him, undulating and turning with the excitement. A shiver danced along his neck as Ace's familiar mage aura registered and the link fairly glowed. Glowed with forgotten life.  
 "Cosmo?"  
 He looked at his friend, worn out, but happier than he thought possible.  
 "All of it, Ace. I have it all back," it was a hoarse whisper and Cosmo felt like he'd just run a marathon. But who cared? It was back. His magic was back! If he didn't feel like crap, he'd be celebrating. "Back."  
 Ace hugged him and smiled. "Congratulations, Cosmo. Congratulations!"  
 Cosmo grinned and chuckled, closing his eyes against the pounding headache starting to creep up as he simply floated in the magic and the link. It was back. All of it. Cosmo couldn't imagine feeling any other way. Feeling anything but the magician he was. Nothing.  
 "Think... think I'll take a nap," he murmured, realizing his eyes were determined to stay close. A chuckle answered him and warmth through the link which he kept wide open. Man, Ace was going to have to threaten his life to get him to throw up a shield anytime to soon.  
 "Good idea. Here, I'll help you to your room."  
 "Nah.." Cosmo happily fell over. "Couch is fine." It was a comfy couch after all.  
More warmth flooded him, tinged with slight worry and amusement. He focused in on it, the warmth, the rush of power around him. Dear God, his world had been so silent. He hadn't realized just how silent his world had been without the magic. Not any more though. Not anymore!  
 Something soft was draped over him and Cosmo's skin tingled with the caress of silk and power. Ace's cape as the older man tucked him in.  
 "Thanks, bud," he mumbled, sleep catching up to him waaay to quickly.  
 "No problem." It was the last coherent words Cosmo heard as he gave into the darkness. Darkness touched with the life and light of his magic. For the first time, in what seemed a lifetime, Cosmo's dreams were good.


End file.
